Scholarships for Study Abroad

To support study abroad on RIT Global Campus, Exchange, Faculty-Led, or Research programs.

• Location: All Countries
• Award Amount: $500-$1,500
• Eligibility: High financial need
• Open to both undergraduate and graduate students
• Deadline: Rolling
• No separate application is required – eligible students are automatically considered for this funding once they have completed an application in the RIT Compass.

• Description: Automatic $500 for any Honors student to study abroad 
• Location: All Countries
• Award Amount: $500
• Eligibility: Honors Student
• Only open to undergraduate students
• Deadline: Rolling
• RIT Honors Grant application

• Description: Scholarship to support undergraduate and graduate students studying abroad at an RIT global campus.
• Location: RIT Global Campus
• Award Amount: $500-$1,000
• Eligibility: Studying abroad at an RIT global campus; High financial need
• Open to both undergraduate and graduate students
• Deadline: Rolling
• Application Notes: No separate application is required – eligible students are automatically considered for this funding once they have completed an application in the RIT Compass

The College of Art and Design, College of Liberal Arts, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Saunders College of Business, and NTID offer scholarships for students in their programs. 

RIT School of Design Study Abroad Scholarship
Awarded to a second-year (sophomore) or third-year (junior) School of Design undergraduate student enrolled in a study abroad experience during the spring, Summer, or Fall semester. Open to RIT School of Design undergraduate majors only (3D Digital Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, New Media Design, and Visual Communication Design. Email Alex Lobos (aflfaa@rit.edu), School of Design Administrative Chair, for more information, application instructions, and deadlines. Deadline is typically in early October. Awards $1,000.

KGCOE-L3 Harris Passport Program
Open to women KGCOE majors with a 3.0 GPA or higher. No separate scholarship application is required. Eligible students will be automatically considered as part of your RIT study abroad application. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Awards up to $2,000.

CLA Global Opportunity (GO) Grant
An automatic $500 grant to study abroad for all CLA majors/double majors (must meet study abroad eligibility requirements). No separate scholarship application is required. Eligible students will be automatically considered as part of your RIT study abroad application. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

CLA Student Travel Fund 
Grants up to $750 may be awarded to CLA majors to help fund a study abroad program. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

NTID Study Abroad Scholarships
Open to NTID majors or Deaf/HOH RIT students. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Awards typically $1,000.

Saunders undergraduate scholarship
May be used for study abroad. Open to business majors with a 3.2 GPA or higher. Open to undergraduate students only. The yearly deadline is in February.

Scholarship for high financial need students to study, intern, or work abroad.

• Feature: High financial need
• Location: All countries
• Award Amount: Up to $5,000
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen; must be receiving a Pell grant
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: October and March

Program Website

Scholarship to support diverse students who study abroad.

• Feature: High Financial Need, Diversity, LGBTQ+, First-Generation Students
• Location: All countries
• Award Amount: $1,250-$10,000
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen or permanent resident; minimum 28 days in-country
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: January and September

Program Website

Each year, approximately 70-100 U.S. undergraduate students who demonstrate academic merit and financial need are selected as Bridging Scholars.

• Location: Japan
• Award Amount: $2,500 for semester study; $4,500 for full academic year study
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen, applying to a semester or academic year study abroad program in Japan
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: March

Program Website

Funding for study abroad in East and Southeast Asia.

• Location: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
• Award Amount: $3,000- $7,000
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen or permanent resident; demonstrated high need; undergraduate with at least one term remaining upon return; minimum 2.8 GPA; little previous experience in host country
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: March

Program Website

Scholarship for intensive language study. 

• Feature: Language study
• Location: Countries where critical languages are spoken and are outside of Western Europe and Australia/New Zealand.
• Award Amount: Up to $20,000
• Eligibility: U.S. Citizen; studying critical language for full semester (all majors) or summer program (STEM majors)
• Boren Scholarship is open to undergraduate students only; the Boren Fellowship is open to graduate students
• Deadline: January

Program Website

Spend one year in Germany learning about language and culture, taking courses, and participating in an internship.

• Feature: Language Study, Internship 
• Location: Germany
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen; 18-24 years old at the start of the program
• Open to both undergraduate and graduate students
• Deadline: November

Program Website

Scholarship for a summer program to study a language critical to the United States (Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu, Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese).

• Feature: Language Study
• Location: Multi-Country
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen or U.S. national
• Open to both undergraduate and graduate students
• Deadline: November

Program Website

Scholarship for undergraduate students in STEM fields to do research or an internship in conjunction with a German University. German language is not required.

• Feature: Research
• Location: Germany
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: U.S. or Canadian citizen
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: November

Program Website

Scholarship for graduate students in STEM fields to do research or an internship in conjunction with a German University.  German language is not required (if a project requires German language, it would be noted in the individual research project descriptions).

• Feature: Research
• Location: Germany
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: Current graduate (Master and PhD candidates) student in the field of biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences, computer science, or engineering (or a closely related field).
• You do not need to be a U.S. citizen or have permanent residence status to apply, but you must have been in the U.S. for at least 12 months at the time of the application deadline (November).
• Open to graduate students only
• Deadline: November

Program Website

Scholarship for undergraduate students in all fields to do research or an internship in conjunction with a Canadian University.

• Feature: Research 
• Location: Canada
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen; Full-time undergraduate in 2nd or 3rd year
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: October

Program Website

Spend 8 weeks in Ireland over the summer learning about social justice and completing an internship.

• Feature: Diversity
• Location: Ireland
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen; undergraduate in 1st, 2nd or 3rd year; minimum 3.0 GPA
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: February

Program Website

Spend 3-4 weeks in the summer exploring the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. 

• Location: United Kingdom
• Award Amount: Covers the full cost of participation and travel
• Eligibility: U.S. citizen; at least 2 years of undergraduate study remaining upon return; minimum 3.7 GPA; have little to no previous travel experience outside North America
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: February

Program Website

Five-week summer program to improve Japanese communication skills and understanding of Japanese culture and society.

• Feature: Language
• Location: Japan
• Award Amount: Covers some tuition and program fee costs
• Eligibility: Min. 3.0 GPA
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: November

Program Website

Five-week summer program to learn about the Mediterranean diet or the Greek environment.

• Location: Greece
• Award Amount: Up to four scholarships that cover tuition and the program fee; all other participants receive a $2,000 scholarship towards program costs
• Eligibility: Min. 2.5 GPA
• Open to undergraduate students only
• Deadline: March

Mediterranean Diet in Greece

Greek Environment: Sea, Sky, and Soil

A 6-week summer program for sustainability-minded students interested in field-based learning offered through RIT study abroad partner, DIS.

• Location: Denmark and Greenland
• Program Dates: Late May through early July
• Eligibility: minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, completed at least two college semesters by time of program
• Funding: tuition, meals, and housing is covered by the scholarship (students would pay for their own roundtrip airfare to Denmark)
• Credits: 6
• Application materials: 3-5 min video, copy of transcript, resume
• Open to: students across U.S. (20 students will be chosen)
• Open to both undergraduate and graduate students
• Application deadline: Mid-March

Program Website

An 8-week summer program where students complete a full-time internship at a Danish host company focused on environmentally sustainable business practices. Offered by RIT study abroad partner, CIEE.

• Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
• Program dates: Mid-May through Mid-July
• Eligibility: minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, U.S. citizen, receive a Pell grant as part of your financial aid package
• Open to undergraduate and graduate students
• Funding: all program costs are fully funded (including flight)
• Credits: 6
• Application materials: letter of recommendation, 4-5 minute video
• Open to: students across the U.S. (8 students will be chosen)
• Application deadline: Late November

Program Website

• Start early! Between essay revisions, requesting recommendations etc. for many scholarships/fellowships, it takes time to create a competitive application. 
• Make sure you meet all eligibility requirements and are committed to all the scholarship/fellowship requirements. 
• Request your official transcripts EARLY from all of the colleges/universities you have received academic credit.
• Take advantage of the resources on campus to help you including librarians, writing center, advisors, etc.

The essay components of your application are your best chance of showcasing your personality, character and skills. The essays should not be taken lightly and often need multiple drafts and revisions. 

• Create an outline first. An outline will help you organize and prioritize your thoughts to help you better communicate your ideas.
• In your early drafts, don’t worry too much about the word limits. Many students stress about this from the beginning and it stunts their writing. Let the ideas flow and then spend time prioritizing, organizing, refining and eliminating repetition so you get to that word limit by the final draft. 
• Consider beginning your essay with a hook that engages the reader from the beginning and makes them want to read the rest. The best hooks are relevant, personal and illustrative.
• Be specific and concrete by using examples. Instead of saying that you are motivated or passionate, describe the actions, behaviors, habits, etc. you have developed that demonstrate your motivation and passion. 
• Discuss how this experience gets you closer to your long-term personal, academic and professional goals. 
• Do your research on the international location and describe how you will make the most of your experience. Show that you are worthy of their investment.
• Keep your audience and purpose in mind. Address your essay to an educated non-specialist. Do not make your project proposal so field-specific that it will be difficult for readers from different disciplines to understand and care about your work.
• The tone should be neither too academic nor too personal. Be engaging, specific, and thoughtful. Eloquence is welcome, but not at the expense of substance or honesty.
• Proofread. Try different proofreading techniques such as reading the essay from the bottom up or reading it aloud. When you think it is perfect, ask someone else who edits well to read your essay.
• Consult several different readers whose comments you respect. Be prepared to take criticism and go through many drafts. Your program head, professors and fellowship advisor are great resources!
• Avoid clichés. Phrases such as “expand my horizons,” “step out of my comfort zone” and even words such as “sustainability” can be overused and lack insight. Think a bit more critically, be reflective and use specific examples to avoid sounding generic and immature.

• Choose an appropriate recommender - one who meets the requirements of the application but can also attest to your abilities as relates to the application.
• Give your recommender at least 4 weeks to write a letter and follow up with them.
• Give your recommender a copy of your resume and provide them with information about the program so that your referee can tailor the letter.
• All letters of recommendation must be on official letterhead.
• All letters of recommendation should clearly state how long they have known you and in what capacity.
• Recommendation letters should be about one-page long.