KU Study Abroad Scholarships
KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement Merit and Financial Need Scholarships
With generous support from alumni, donors, the chancellor, the provost, and KU International Affairs, Study Abroad & Global Engagement (SAGE) is able to provide more than $200,000 per year in total scholarship funding for study abroad.
SAGE administers competitive merit and need scholarships through a common online scholarship application. Students eligible for both scholarships will be considered for both. Awarded students will receive either a merit or financial need scholarship.
Academic merit scholarships are competitive and are awarded on academic merit as determined by KU GPA and a personal statement. Students applying for an academic year or semester program are eligible.
Financial need scholarships are competitive and are awarded based on financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a financial need essay, and a personal statement. Students are required to have filed the FAFSA for the current year. Students who are applying for any study abroad term are eligible to apply.
Eligibility
All students must meet the following requirements to apply:
- Be a degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Kansas;
- Meet the requirements for the study abroad program to which they have applied;
- Have started an application for their study abroad program
Scholarship Award Information
| Term of Study | Scholarships Available | Average Award | Application Deadline | Notification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Academic Year & Fall Semester | Merit & Financial Need | $1,500-$2,500 | March 15 | Early April |
| Summer | Financial Need | $500-$1,000 | March 1 | Late March |
Spring Semester | Merit & Financial Need | $1,500 | October 1 | Late October |
Winter Break & Spring Break | Financial Need | $500-$1,000 | October 1 | Late October |
Application Instructions
The application deadline is 11:59 pm on the application deadline, no exceptions. See the deadlines listed above.
The application consists of the following items:
- Personal statement
- Advising report
- Financial need essay (only for students applying for a financial need scholarship)
Successful applicants will have essays that:
- Clearly speak to why they chose their specific study abroad program;
- Thoroughly articulate their academic, career and/or personal goals for study abroad, how the program will aid in fulfillment of these goals and how these goals enhance intellectual learning;
- Are logical, well organized, and free of spelling errors.
Apply for a KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement Financial Need and Merit Scholarship
Many of the funds to support study abroad scholarships come from donors. Students who are awarded a scholarship from a donor may be asked to write a thank you letter to the donor, including information about their plan of study. Additionally, semester and academic year awardees are asked to do an outreach project such as writing essays or providing photos about your time abroad. Students will be notified of any scholarship requirements in their award email.
We thank our donors for providing funds for the KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement Merit and Financial Need Scholarships.
Program and KU Departmental Scholarships
These scholarships are for a specific program or group of programs and are available due to the generous support of donors as noted below. Additionally, some scholarships are given through a KU academic department. Each scholarship has specific eligibility requirements, so read them carefully. Generally, the application deadline will be March 1 for Academic Year, Fall, and Summer and October 1 for Spring, Winter Break, and Spring Break. Click the application link to see the exact application deadline for each scholarship because some have one annual deadline.
Program and KU Departmental Scholarships
As a Global Scholar, Mackenzie Aden (‘18 Cohort) travelled abroad for the first time. Grateful for the opportunity, and especially a scholarship from KU, Aden has established an award to support those currently in the KU Global Scholars Program. Any Global Scholar who has applied to participate in an international study, internship or research abroad program, for which they will earn credit through KU or another accredited institution, is eligible to be considered for this scholarship of $1,000. Apply for the Mackenzie Aden Scholarship for Global Scholars.
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) awards one or more Anita Herzfeld Awards of up to $600 each cycle. Anita Herzfeld was a professor emerita of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, former director of KU Study Abroad, and beloved teacher and noted linguist, who retired in 2012 after working to expand international education for KU students during a distinguished career spanning more than fifty years.
Students must be KU degree-seeking undergraduate students who have applied to a study abroad program in a Spanish or Portuguese-speaking country in Latin America and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Eligible students should complete the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies Study Abroad Scholarship application to be considered for the award.
Fund created by estate gift from the late Dean and Elisabeth Collins. Awards up to $10,000 for students on semester or $20,000 for year-long programs to Germany. Open to all majors but preference for students studying music, and particularly opera. Minimum 2.5 GPA requirement. Apply for the Dean and Elizabeth Collins Study Abroad Scholarship scholarship online.
Study Abroad Scholarship
This scholarship is open to KU degree-seeking undergraduate students who have applied to an academic year, semester, or summer study abroad program in a French or Italian speaking country where the student will take a minimum of 6 credit hours in Italian or French Studies that are transferrable as FFIT credit. Popular program options include: Université Catholique de l’Ouest, Paris Summer Language Institute, Florence Summer Language Institute, and Student Initiated Programs in France or Italy. Multiple scholarships of are awarded each term. The average award is $1,000. Apply for the Study Abroad Scholarship online.
This fund shall be used to provide scholarships or direct financial support for University of Kansas students performing field studies abroad, with the primary goal of solving real-world human and social problems in different cultural systems. Preference shall be given to senior undergraduate and graduate students in the social sciences who are citizens of the United States and are committed to developing cultural and linguistic fluencies. One award of $1,500 - $2,500 will be available each year. Apply for the Felix Moos Fund for Field Studies Abroad.
The U.S. Department of Education awards FLAS funding to four area studies centers at KU to provide financial support for less commonly taught languages. Eligible students must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident and can be a graduate student or an undergraduate with at least intermediate language ability. Students can study domestically and/or abroad. Academic year fellowships provide up to $18,000 for tuition and a $20,000 stipend for graduate students and up to $10,000 for tuition and a $5,000 stipend for undergraduate students. Summer fellowships (for graduates and undergraduates) provide up to $5,000 for tuition and a stipend of $3,500. For more information about FLAS funding and links to the designated area studies centers at KU, visit Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships.
Through generous support of the Freeman Foundation, Study Abroad & Global Engagement is able to award scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 to KU undergraduate or graduate students participating in a summer or semester-length credit-bearing internships that is at least six weeks. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and will be required to complete a follow-on project. Read more detailed information on the Freeman East Asia Internship Scholarship page.
This fund shall be used to provide five non-renewable awards of $1,000 to active members of the Global Scholars program who will be conducting research abroad during the summer, semester, or academic year. Applications are due March 1. All applicants will be required to submit a Global Scholars research proposal. Apply for the Global Scholars Research Abroad Scholarship online.
Margaret “Hodgie” Bricke’s commitment to international education remained constant throughout her three decades at KU. Hodgie founded GAP in 2004 and considered it one of her most important professional achievements. Each semester, the Bricke scholarship fund will provide a financial need-based $1,000 scholarship to a GAP student studying abroad for a semester or academic year. Two financial need-based $500 awards will go to GAP students participating in study abroad programs over the summer. Apply for the Bricke Award online.
Funds provided with support of Mary-Elizabeth Debicki Guinness, former Director of the KU Study Abroad and former wife of Andrew Debicki. Awards up to $2,000 for degree-seeking undergraduate students on ISEP direct exchange programs. Apply online through the Study Abroad Merit and Financial Need Scholarship application.
Fund created with the contribution of Carl Krehbiel to provide support for KU degree-seeking undergraduate students attending one of the German Summer Language Institute programs in Eutin or Holzkirchen, Germany. Minimum 2.5 GPA requirement. Awards are up to $4,000. Apply for the Carl C. Krehbiel and L. Neil Slentz German Language Summer Institute Scholarship online.
Funds provided with support of Richard Paegelow, KU study abroad alumnus. This scholarship is open to KU degree-seeking undergraduate students to study at Korea University through KU Study Abroad. Recipients must have successfully completed at least one semester of Korean language course at the University of Kansas prior to the study abroad program, meet the eligibility requirements of Korea University, and enroll in one or more Korean courses while at Korea University. Awards of up to $6,500. Apply for the Korea University Study Abroad Scholarship online.
This fund was created through the generosity of the Lipsey family in memory of Lynne Hinkel Lipsey, a Lawrencian who loved the German language and culture and studied and traveled in Germany many times throughout her life. The Lipsey family created this fund to provide direct financial support for students at the University of Kansas pursuing study abroad opportunities in a German-speaking country, and for German-speaking students participating in study abroad opportunities at the University of Kansas through KU Study Abroad. Support may include providing travel assistance for recipients to visit cultural sites or take part in other activities that provide a deeper understanding of the society, culture, and people. One non-renewable award of up to $2,500 will be given to a KU student studying abroad for a semester or academic year in a German-speaking country, and one award will be given to a German student studying at KU. Preference will be given to students engaging in KU’s reciprocal student exchange programs in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland or students studying at KU from one of these same reciprocal exchange partner institutions. Apply for the Lynne Hinkel Lipsey Memorial Travel Fund online.
Funds provided by the support of Cheryle A. & Burton MacKenzie through the KU Psychology Department. This scholarship is open to Psychology majors who are participating in a semester-long study abroad experience. Preference given to students studying at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad-Copenhagen, National University of Singapore, University of Birmingham, University of Exeter, University of Kent, University of Leicester, University of New South Wales, or University of Wollongong. Awards based on merit and financial need and are approximately $1,000. Apply for the Cheryle A. & Burton MacKenzie Study Abroad Scholarship for Psychology Majors online.
Created with the contribution of Mark D. McBride, KU alumnus and participant in multiple undergraduate and graduate study abroad programs in Germany, this scholarship provides support to undergraduate students at the University of Kansas who are graduates of a Kansas high school, have financial need and are majoring in German Studies or Slavic Language & Literatures/REES and will be studying in the region. Awards are up to $2,500. Upon return from their study abroad experience, scholarship recipients will be asked to write an essay about how the scholarship made a difference and furthered their academic and professional interests, which will be shared with the donor. Apply online through the Study Abroad Merit and Financial Need Scholarship application.
Funds provided with support of Kevin and Joann Nunnink. Recipients must be undergraduate student participants in the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, have demonstrated financial need as determined by the FAFSA, and graduated high school from a metropolitan area with a population under 75,000 in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Arkansas, or Nebraska. Minimum 3.0 GPA requirement. Apply for the Kevin and Joann Nunnink Scholarship online.
Funding provided with the support of Christine Pederson, KU alumnus and former participant in the University of Oslo International Summer School (ISS) in Oslo, Norway. This scholarship provides financial support of up to $5,000 to KU degree-seeking students to participate in the ISS at the University of Oslo. One award available each year. Minimum 2.5 GPA requirement. Apply for the Christine Pederson Fund for the International Summer School at the University of Oslo online.
The Peter Gilles Springer Fellowship for Study in France is an annual award to support an outstanding graduate student from the departments of French, History, or Political Science. The fellowship shall be used for the student’s studies or research, in France only. Awards are determined based on both need and merit. The award amount will be between $1,500 and $2,500. Apply for the Peter Gilles Springer Fellowship.
Funding provided with the support of Allan W. Wicker and Edna Elnar-Wicker. Awards are designed to assist degree-seeking undergraduate KU students with demonstrated financial need or high academic merit to participate in semester-long, single country study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad in conjunction with KU Study Abroad. Eligible students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA and have applied to an eligible SIT program. One $10,000 scholarship will be awarded annually. Apply for the Allan W. Wicker and Edna Elnar-Wicker Study Abroad Scholarship online.
Students can also check with their academic departments and organizations on campus to see if they offer study abroad scholarships or grants. Historically, study abroad awards have been given through Architecture, Art History, Biology, Business, Center for East Asian Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, English, Environmental Studies, German, Honors, and ROTC Project GO. Additional KU Scholarships can be found through the KU Scholarship Portal database.