How to Apply for Scholarships to Study Abroad

Grab a scholarship for studying abroad-easy steps.

Never allow study abroad costs get you down or discourage.  Frequent  misconception about study abroad is that it is unaffordable and expensive, but fortunately? There are literally there are numerous study abroad scholarships and grants for those who are interested , just waiting for you to apply for them!

Below are 10 sure-fire steps to score the best study abroad scholarships (but don’t think that means they’re easy study abroad scholarships!). We know you want to travel to great places, but since you’re busy with school, work, family, and friend commitments, we didn’t want to waste much time with outdated ideas or strategies to help you win those awards. We wanted to cut to the chase. Pick a destination.

Step 1. Seek Help

First and foremost, don’t panic to reach out to the people around you for help. Contact your university’s study abroad office, your professors, the financial aid office, and your academic advisors to ask them about scholarships or grants that they may know of.

If possible, personally to these offices to ask for advice on how to get a scholarship to study abroad, rather than just emailing or calling. Not only will this make it easier for your professors or study abroad office to help you, but they’ll be impressed with your clear determination and initiative in arriving to discuss financial aid in person. The hardest part of getting study abroad scholarships is simply finding  them, so be sure to ask the professionals if they know of any.

Step 2. Research on it

It cannot be said enough: do your research! The more scholarships you can apply for, the more financial aid you will get. There are also a number of other resources, such as NAFSA, that compile list of scholarship for study abroad.

Step 3. Contact the Scholarship or Grant Funder Directly

The best way to know all the nitty-gritty details of the scholarships you will be applying for, as well as up-to-date application requirements, is to contact the funder directly  they practically wrote the book on how to get a scholarship to study abroad! Not only will this ensure that you have all the correct information, you will also be showing the scholarship or grant funder/provider that you are not afraid to take the initiative and actively pursue the scholarship you are applying for.

Step 4. Work on Your Resume

Once you’ve compiled your list of study abroad scholarships that you plan on applying for, you now have to work on actually being awarded the scholarships. A huge part of this is your resume! Be sure to highlight any international experience you’ve had, update all of your recent campus activities and try not to go over one page.

Step 5. Your References

No, we don’t mean your bibliography. Most study abroad scholarship essays and applications require personal references; that is, someone you’ve worked with either in a professional or academic setting. For most students, this means reaching out to professors and asking for their assistance. When asking a professor to be a reference, or to write you a recommendation letter, always ask them far in advance so that they may prepare.

Step 7. Apply

It may seem tiring, but apply for study abroad scholarships as quickly and thoroughly as you can. This will require considerable amounts of time and patience, but every little bit counts. Since you’ve already done a lot of legwork, your process should run smoothly.