Scholarships and Funding
Financing Your Study Abroad Program
One of the biggest concerns about studying abroad is how to finance the program. While studying abroad can be costly, many students in financial need are able to go abroad every year! Plan early and strategize with a Study Abroad Advisor and Financial Aid staff in 103 Parks Hall.
Georgia College Study Abroad Scholarships
- The GC Study Abroad Scholarship is open to any Georgia College student who has applied for any credit-bearing study abroad, internship abroad, or service-learning abroad program. Georgia College is able to award many students each year, so all students going abroad are encouraged to apply! Note that students who apply to the New Horizons Scholarship (below) do not need to also submit an application for the GC Study Abroad Scholarship as they will automatically be considered for this award. (The online application for this scholarship is found inside each student's GC study abroad program application.)
- The New Horizons Scholarship is open to any GC undergraduate student of under-represented populations (including students of color, students registered with the GC Student Disability Resource Center, students with financial need, etc.) who has applied for a credit-bearing study abroad, internship abroad, or service-learning abroad program. Students who apply for the New Horizons scholarship will automatically be considered for the GC Study Abroad Scholarship; only one application is necessary. (The online application for this scholarship is found inside each student's GC study abroad program application.)
Other Scholarships
- Other organizations also offer study abroad scholarships, primarily for longer, more intensive programs, financially needy students, and students taking less studied languages.
- The Institute for International Education (IIE) database has many scholarships.
- National Scholarships include: Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship for Pell grant recipients, Freeman-Asia for study in Asia, NSEP/Boren Scholars for foreign language study, Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) for study of languages deemed critical to U.S. security and more.
- GC National Scholarships Coordinator, Anna Whiteside, is available to help GC students apply for any national scholarships. Feel free to contact her directly at anna.whiteside@gcsu.edu
- The U. S. Department of State online resource for language programs offered by the federal government, including fully funded programs, can be found HERE.
- Diversity: Some scholarships are specifically focused on diversifying the student population who studies abroad and/or the destinations to which they study abroad: Diversity Abroad Network, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship, Fund for Education Abroad, Fund for Education Abroad Rainbow Scholarship, and the Fund for Education Abroad Athlete Scholarship.
- Find out if you are eligible to receive a study abroad scholarship from any of these organizations: Rotary International, Fund for Education Abroad, DAAD for programs in Germany, Phi Kappa Phi for students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher, Alpha Lambda Delta for ALD members, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars for NSCS members.
Financial Aid
HOPE or ZELL Scholarships, Federal aid (such as the Pell Grant and the Stafford Loan) for eligible students can be applied to approved programs. Visit GC Financial Aid for general info.
Contact your GC financial aid advisor, once you have found a program that interests you, by calling 478-445-5149 or emailing financialaid@gcsu.edu. Be sure to put "study abroad" in the subject line.
Other Ideas
- ASK! Ask relatives and friends to contribute birthday and Christmas gifts to a special study abroad fund.
- Fund-raisers: Students often organize fund-raising projects to benefit their study abroad – bake sales, car washes, silent auctions, raffles, etc..
- Service organizations and churches to which students, their parents, and friends belong are sometimes interested in helping students in exchange for a presentation on the study abroad experience upon return.
Contact studyabroadinfo@gcsu.edu with any questions.