There are numerous external scholarship and fellowship opportunities for traveling, studying, and conducting research internationally. Many of them have deadlines that are earlier than you might expect, and several require institutional endorsement from JMU to apply. We have listed some of the most popular funding opportunities below, but there may be others for which you are eligible.
To explore these and other funding sources, please schedule an advising appointment with Leslie Pusey, M.Ed., Assistant Director, Office of Student Awards, Initiatives, and Research (STAIR) or Luke Wiley, Fellowships Advisor. They can help you navigate these opportunities and prepare your applications for these awards. You can reach the office at fellowships@jmu.edu.
Recommended online search tools include StudyAbroad.com and GoAbroad.com.
For Undergraduate Language Training, Research, and Study Abroad -
Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The selected study abroad program must include a significant language component. Applicants must relate their study abroad program and future academic and career goals to U.S national interests, broadly defined. Applicants must go through a campus review process and recipients must fulfill a one-year federal service requirement.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals
CBYX recipients spend one year in Germany, immersed in language study, classes, and an extended internship in a field related to the recipient's major. Previous German language training is appreciated but not required.
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program
The CLS program offers fully funded summer language institutes for U.S. university students. Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu are offered at the beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Persian are offered at the advanced beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, and Chinese, Japanese, and Russian are offered at the intermediate and advanced levels.
DAAD is the German national agency for international academic cooperation and exchange. It offers a wide range of opportunities to undergraduate students including funding for study abroad, internships, and senior thesis research. DAAD also offers study scholarships for graduating seniors. Requires institutional endorsement.
FEA provides scholarships and ongoing support to students with financial need who are underrepresented among the U.S. study-abroad population.
Freeman-ASIA Awards provide need-based funding to assist with the cost of studying abroad in East or Southeast Asia (up to $3000 for summer programs, up to $5000 for semester programs, and up to $7000 for year-long awards). Applicants must have demonstrated financial need and limited (or no) experience in the country of application.
Fulbright Canada MITACS Globalink Research Internship
The Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship provides exceptional U.S. undergraduate students with the opportunity to be part of a 10 to 12-week research internship under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members. Projects are drawn from a broad cross-section of research topics covering all academic disciplines. Students are provided opportunities to take part in professional training and cultural, social, and recreational experiences. Applications are open to sophomores and juniors.
Fulbright Canada Killam Fellowship
The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in Canada. The fellowship provides a cash award of $6,000 U.S. per semester, an all-expense paid three-day orientation in Ottawa, and a three-day paid seminar in Washington, D.C. All Killam Fellows are also eligible to apply for a mobility (in-country travel) grant in an amount not to exceed $800. The idea of the mobility initiative is to allow students to undertake an educational field trip, providing the Fellows with the opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of the culture in Canada.
Fulbright US-UK Summer Institutes
The US-UK Fulbright Commission offers Summer Institutes for U.S. citizens to participate in three, four, five, or six-week academic and cultural summer programs. The Summer Institutes cover round-trip airfare, tuition* and fees at the host institution, accommodation, meals, and in some cases a small daily allowance. Applicants must have at least two years of undergraduate study left to complete, and a 3.7+ GPA. Preference is given to those without prior overseas travel experience.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic study abroad. Award recipients are chosen through a competitive selection process and can use the award to defray study abroad costs such as tuition*, room and board, books, local transportation, and international airfare. Applicants must receive a Federal Pell Grant.
The Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of college students and recent graduates to explore national histories of discrimination and resistance. The summer program takes place in Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland. Applicants must be undergraduate students or recent graduates.
Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi awards competitive grants for students who will be studying abroad. Applicants do not need to be a member of Phi Kappa Phi. Eligibility criteria for these grants is a minimum 3.75 GPA and acceptance into a study abroad program. PKP Study Abroad Grants support undergraduate as they seek knowledge and experience in their academic fields through studying abroad. Fifty $1000 grants are awarded each year.
Project Global Officer (Project GO)
ROTC students who wish to study critical need languages are eligible to apply for Project GO grants for study at both domestic and international institutions.
The William Jefferson Clinton Scholarship
The William Jefferson Clinton Scholarship at the American University in Dubai seeks to further the goals of the Clinton Presidential Foundation to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. In partnership with the American University in Dubai, the program will provide American students based in the US the opportunity to expand their educational and cultural horizons by studying in the Arab world.
For Seniors and Recent Graduates -
Boren Fellowships provide up to $30,000 to U.S. graduate students. The program focuses on geographic areas (including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East), languages, and fields of study critical to U.S. national security, broadly defined. This broad conception of national security includes the challenges of global society such as sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness. Recipients must fulfill a one-year service requirement with the U.S. government.
The Fulbright U.S. student program offers grants for study/research projects and English Teaching Assistantships. It facilitates cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Applicants for study/research grants design their own projects and generally work with an advisor at foreign universities or institutes. ETA grant recipients are placed in a classroom to help teach English to non-native speakers. The age and academic level of students varies by country. Grant benefits include round-trip transportation to the host country, a stipend to cover room, board, and incidental costs, and accident and sickness benefits. Current JMU students must participate in a campus review process.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time post-graduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Selection criteria include: outstanding intellectual ability; leadership potential; a commitment to improving the lives of others; and a good fit between the applicant’s qualifications and aspirations and the postgraduate program at Cambridge for which they are applying. NB: Gates Cambridge does not admit or place scholars; all applications must be made through the University of Cambridge.
Marshall Scholarships support young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. Program objectives include: to enable intellectually distinguished young Americans to study in the UK; to help Scholars gain an understanding and appreciation of contemporary Britain; to contribute to the advancement of knowledge at Britain’s centers of academic excellence; to motivate Scholars to act as ambassadors from the US to the UK and vice versa; and to promote personal and academic fulfillment. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must have at least a 3.7 GPA. There are up to 40 awards, which cover university fees, cost of living expenses, travel, and other expenses. There are one-year and two-year grants. The two-year grant can be extended an additional year at some institutions.
Princeton in Asia (PiA), Princeton in Africa (PiAf), and Princeton in Latin America (PiLA) Grants
PiA, PiAf, and PiLA grants each offer one year (or longer) post-graduation internship experiences in Asia, Africa, and Latin America respectively. Opportunities vary by program, region, and country, but past Fellows have undertaken work in community development, education, media, public health, business, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
The Rhodes Scholarship funds two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. Selection criteria include: literary and scholastic attainments; energy to use one’s talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports; truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship; and moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings. Each year 32 scholarships are awarded, which cover all educational costs, provide a living stipend, and cover round-trip travel. Requires institutional endorsement.
Schwarzman Scholars pursue a fully-funded one-year master's program in public policy, economics and business, or international studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Prior knowledge of Mandarin is not required; all coursework is taught in English. Open to US and non-US citizens under the age of 28.
The Yenching Scholarship offers 12 months of funding for a postgraduate degree--including tuition*, a travel stipend, accommodations, and living costs--at The Yenching Academy in Peking. Applicants must demonstrate a clear interest in China, strong academic preparation, and clear leadership potential.
* Please go to the Cost of Attendance Calculator to see the estimated cost of attendance for your program of study.
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