Study Abroad Scholarships
If you are a US citizen or permanent resident, you may be eligible to apply for scholarships of up to $5,000 for semester or summer study abroad, from the Benjamin Gilman Scholarship program and/or the Freeman-ASIA program.
Designed to “increase the number of US citizens and permanent residents with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and it’s peoples and cultures”
Open to US citizens and permanent residents with demonstrated financial need
For study in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, or Vietnam
Awards up to $3,000 for summer, $5,000 for a semester, $7,000 for a year
Deadlines: March 1 for summer 2016, April 1 for fall 2016 (applications for spring 2017 will be due in the fall)
Benjamin Gilman Scholarships
Designed to broaden access to study abroad by supporting students who are traditionally underrepresented (including STEM majors, students of color, non-traditional age students, first-generation college students, students with disabilities, and students choosing non-traditional locations)
Open to US citizens who are receiving a federal Pell Grant as part of their financial aid package
For study in any country except Cuba and those on the US Department of State’s current Travel Warning list
Awards up to $5,000, with supplements of an additional $3,000 (for a total of $8,000) for students studying Critical Need Languages (including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Turkic, Persian, Indic, Korean, Russian, and Swahili languages)
Award recipients have access to networking and other opportunities through the US Department of State
Deadlines: March 1 for summer 2016 or fall/year 2016 (applications for spring 2017 will be due in the fall)
We strongly encourage all eligible students to apply, even if you have been approved for a Laurel Fellowship for study abroad. An outside award for semester study abroad will go first toward reducing your loan, then the College grant (Laurel); see the College's Outside Scholarship Policies for details. Even though a Gilman or Freeman-ASIA award would not directly reduce your family contribution, the benefit of reducing your loan is a substantial one. You can also include the award on your resume.
List Joanne Picard as your study abroad advisor (e.g., the person who can verify your academic standing and credit transfer for the program abroad)
List Kate Rajbhandari in Student Financial Services as your Financial Aid Advisor (the person who can verify your aid eligibility)
e-mail us both in advance to let us know that you are applying (jpicard and krajbhan)
Students applying for the Gilman Scholarship should see our Gilman Scholarship overview for additional application tips and comments from previous Gilman Scholarship recipients.
Mount Holyoke students have an excellent track record with these award programs (in the past few years, more than 20 MHC students have received Gilman awards alone for study in 15 different countries). If you qualify, apply! (And yes, if you qualify for both, you can apply for both.) See Outside Scholarships for information about other scholarship programs for study abroad. Good luck!
