Scholarships

You don’t need to pay for your Study Abroad experience all by yourself

Scholarships

You don’t need to pay for your Study Abroad experience all by yourself

Scholarships

Study Abroad and Global Engagement (SAGE) program costs can be daunting, but there are numerous scholarship opportunities to help make global experiences part of your overall experience at CSUF. 

Check out our Top 10 favorite scholarships available to help you fund your SAGE program:

General school-based scholarships are open to all/most students (eligibility requirements vary by scholarships) and can be applied to CSU/CSUF (SAGE) programs. Visit the CSUF scholarship webpage for a complete list of scholarships and how to apply.

If you are already receiving a scholarship at CSUF (e.g. President’s, Guardian, etc.), you may be able to apply it to CSU International Programs (CSU IP), CSUF Reciprocal Exchange, and semester-long CSUF Department programs.

Provided by the U.S. Department of State, the Gilman is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad. The national average for the Gilman is that 1 in 4 (25%) applicants will receive a Gilman. For the past two application cycles, 3 in 4 (75%) of CSUF applicants received a Gilman award. 

One online application leads to consideration for over a dozen FEA scholarships. The mission of FEA is to provide scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population.

  • Amount: Up to $10,000
  • Open to: U.S. citizen or permanent resident undergraduate students at a college or university and applying to a study abroad program that is at least 28 days long abroad.
  • Deadline: January (for Fall programs) & September (for Spring programs)
  • Website: fundforeducationabroad.org/apply
  • Past CSUF winners: Gerard Avelino, Linguistics/French double-major (France); Diego Beltran, Political Science major (France)

Provided by the U.S. Department of State, the CLS program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students spend 8-10 weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. 

  • Amount: Covers international and domestic travel, visa application fees, program costs, room, board and more. 
  • Open to: U.S. citizen undergraduate or graduate students at a U.S. college or university. Some of the languages (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, etc.) require previous language study, while others (e.g. Urdu, Hindi, Persian, etc.) do not. 
  • Deadline: November (for Summer programs)
  • Website: clscholarship.org
  • Past CSUF winner: Adrienne Almada, Nursing major (India)

Show the world what it means to be an international student in America. Create either a literary (e.g. poem, story, play, etc.) or artistic (song/music, video, painting, etc.) expression as your submission.

  • Amount: $1,500
  • Open to: Full-time international students (F, J, M, U, T, R, A, or Q visa-holders) and DACA recipients in a SEVIS-approved U.S. institution of higher education.
  • Deadline: November 1
  • Website: lewermark.com/international-scholarship-fall-2022/ 

Made possible through the generosity of former CSU IP participants. Scholarships are available to students accepted into a CSU IP program. 

  • Amount: $750
  • Open to: Any CSU student applying to a CSU IP year-long program
  • Deadline: February (academic year programs)
  • Website: https://csuip.calstate.edu/

There are a variety of scholarship opportunities available to students in the Humanities and Social Sciences, and believe it or not, you’re probably eligible for at least one.  Scholarships come at both the college and department levels.

The Freeman-Asia program is designed to support U.S.-based undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia.

  • Amount: Up to $7,000
  • Open to: U.S. citizen or permanent resident undergraduate students at a U.S. college or university, with a 2.8 GPA, who are applying to study abroad in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam. 
  • Deadline: March (all programs)
  • Website: iie.org/programs/freeman-asia/apply
  • Past CSUF winners: SangHee Lee, Business major (South Korea); Stephanie Soto, Japanese major (Japan)

Boren Scholars and Fellow study a wide range of critical languages. Boren Awards are available to students of all proficiency levels who are committed to enhancing their skills.  All Boren Awards funded-programs must include language study as a core element for the duration of the grant.

  • Amount: Up to $25,000
  • Open to: U.S. citizen undergraduate or graduate students at a U.S. college or university who are applying to an overseas program in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, and study in a country in which they are not a citizen. 
  • Deadline: February (undergraduate scholarships), January (graduate fellows)
  • Website: borenawards.org
  • Past CSUF winner: Zaid Ismail, International Business major (Jordan)

Provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. 

  • Amount: varies
  • Open to: U.S. citizen bachelor’s degree or equivalent holders (including J.D.); must meet language requirements of award they are applying; able to complete proposed project
  • Deadline: October
  • Website: us.fulbrightonline.org

Additional scholarships specific to study abroad and other global opportunities can be found below.

Click on the scholarship link to learn more about eligibility requirements, application process, deadlines, award amounts, and more. 

Below are links to some of the organizations that provide scholarships specifically to underrepresented students who are looking to study abroad.

“Start the application process early!”

Fulbright Scholarship Semi-Finalist

Jaeda Snow talks about her experience as a semi-finalist for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program scholarship, a scholarship that helps American students teach English in another country.

Watch Jaeda's Story  Opens in new window