College Study Abroad Programs

Why Study Abroad?

2010-01-13T05:10:00.001-05:00

Studying abroad is for most people a once in a lifetime opportunity – as you get older you get caught up with your career in family, so much so that it’s nearly impossible to take a few weeks, months, or years away to experience different cultures. That’s why doing this while you’re a college student is the perfect time.

Studying in different countries allows you to gain an international perspective pertaining to your major, and develops a global resume. With many corporations expanding globally, this is definitely a plus when applying for careers. It is also one of the best ways to truly understand different cultures, and gain a perspective on your own culture and how others feel about your culture. Many programs encourage or even require you to learn a foreign language, which is another big plus for many global corporations.

Experiences you have while traveling abroad can last you a lifetime, and are things that many do not ever experience in their own life. I strongly recommend you look through the financial aid and programs available and find a program for you!

List of Different Study/Travel Programs

2010-01-10T19:07:00.002-05:00

The goal of this post is to aid college (and some highschool) students in finding opportunities that will let them study abroad, with the possibility of receiving school credit as well. I will eventually expand to include scholarship opportunities to fund these types of trips as well as fundraising ideas.

EF Tours – http://www.eftours.com
I am working with this group on my trip this year. I am traveling with EF and my School to Italy and Greece for 13 days, for $3600. This includes airfare, hotels, meals (breakfast and dinner), transportation, tours and tour guide, and a 3 day cruise. They offer some nice payment plans and for the price, you’re really getting alot for your money. Through my school you are able to get humanities credit for this trip. The Itinerary for the trip I’m taking is available here: https://www.eftours.com/eLiterature/CST/DBD/F/IABA.pdf

University of Cambridge & Florida Consortium of Colleges & Universities - http://global.usf.edu/educationabroad/cambridge/
If you are a college student in Florida, this program is a great opportunity for you. With this program, you spend a summer in England at the University of Cambridge, while earning up to 6 hours of credit for your Florida college transcript. This program is also open to students enrolled at other American colleges and universities who wish to study at the University of Cambridge and earn transferable academic credit through the University of South Florida. The costs vary from $3890 to $6975, for 2 weeks and 4 weeks respectively. These costs do not include airfare, weekend excursions, optional travel, or books. The schedule of fees and programs is available at http://global.usf.edu/educationabroad/cambridge/fees.html

CCIS Study Abroad - http://www.ccisabroad.org/
CCIS has a choice of mroe than 80 study abroad programs, in 31 countries. The program lengths vary from a semester, summer, to even a full academic year. Many programs allow you to live with a host family instead of a dorm, aiding your perception of the language and culture. They offer assistance with credit transfer as well, with a wide variety of courses available. Unlike the above two groups, you would most likely do a trip through CCIS separate from your school, obtain the credits in the school at that country, and use CCIS’s credit transfer assistance to receive your credit for your trip.
To view costs, select a destination and click on the “Details” tab. The costs usually do not include Airfare, housing, meals, personal costs, books, residences permits, visas, and additional credits, so be sure to factor in these costs. CCIS also offers a scholarship program at participating schools. The list of member schools is available at http://www.ccisabroad.org/member_institutions.htm

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals - http://www.cdsintl.org/fellowshipsabroad/cbyx.php/
Being a business major, this is one program that really appeals to me and I plan on applying for this program in the next couple of years. This program is a full year work-study scholarship program, with a strong focus on cultural exchange. You spend an entire year in Germany, starting out with intensive German language training, followed by 4 months of school at a German university, and finally a 5 month internship in your career field. One awesome thing about this program is that it is a scholarship – it includes your flight, tuition, training, a living stipend, and travel costs FREE. However, they expect you to pay for your transportation to certain required seminars before the trip. You also need to bring some spending money – they recommend 300-500 EUR per month. However keep in mind you can usually use financial aid programs to obtain these funds – and your internship may even be paid. They only accept 75 applicants per year, so be sure to take your time in writing a good application. The application deadline is December 1 of the year prior to the trip.
Eligibility information is available here: http://www.cdsintl.org/fellowshipsabroad/cbyx_eligibility.php

Additional Resources:
http://www.iiepassport.org/ – A directory of study abroad programs, simply select the country and field of study and it will bring you results with different programs you may like.

Financial Aid for Studying Abroad

2010-01-10T05:25:00.000-05:00

The first place I would check for funding to study abroad would be directly with your school. Many colleges have groups they tour with, and have scholarships available for the tour. If you have a Pell Grant, you can use that money towards your trip and studies as well. If your employer offers a form of tuition assistance, see if you can apply it to your trip. Many companies like to have employees that are well rounded and experienced, so you may be able to convince them to fund part (or even all!) of your trip.

List of aid specifically geared towards studying abroad:
Note that many times study abroad scholarships are designated for trips of at least one month, or even longer, so if you’re taking a short trip under a month long you may need to obtain alternative sources of funding.

IIEPASSPORT Study Abroad Funding - http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/
Earlier I mentioned the IIEPASSPORT page as a resource to find different study abroad programs. They also offer a tool to help you find funding for your trip, with a database of scholarships, fellowships, and grants.

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals -http://www.cdsintl.org/fellowshipsabroad/cbyx.php/
This is a scholarship and trip built in to one, and definetly worth applying for. Check out the full information in my post on different travel/study programs.

Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship - http://www.iie.org//Content/NavigationMenu/Programs7/Gilman_Awards/Home8/Home.htm
This program requires the study program to be in the same country for at least 28 days. You must be a US Citizen receiving a Pell Grant to be eligible for this scholarship, and must be in good academic standing. They award between 1,000 and 2,000 scholarships per year, of up to $5,000. In addition to this, they offer a $3,000 Critical Need Language Supplement to those who receive the scholarship.

Boren Awards for International Study - http://www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarship
Boren scholarships provides up to $20,000 in scholarships to study abroad. Note that these only apply to programs that are in countries deemed critical to US national security, and is funded by the National Security Education Program.

Fundraising Ideas

2010-01-09T05:29:00.000-05:00

OK – so you can’t find any scholarships that you’re eligible for, or your trip isn’t long enough to qualify.. Don’t Give up Yet! There are plenty of easy ways to raise money for your trip, your experience of a lifetime.

First and foremost – ask family and friends. Network. ChipIn (http://www.chipin.com) is a website that allows you create your own personal page with a set financial goal and has a donation link built into the page. The funds are then sent to you via Check or Paypal. For an example or to donate to my trip, check out http://rduemmling.chipin.com

Car washes – If you’ve got a group of people that are trying to go, it is easier to organize an event such as this. Many businesses will allow you to set up in their parking lot, as it brings in potential customers. Depending on your group size, prices paid, and amount of cars washed, you can raise quite a bit of money this way.

Working with local businesses – Find a way to get a business to support your trip. Perhaps you can invite a large group to a restaurant, and see if they are willing to donate a portion of the proceeds to your cause.

For a complete list of fundraising ideas, check out sites such as http://www.fund-raising-ideas-center.com/fundraising-ideas.html