Scholarships

The UIC Navigator Scholars program is a  unique scholarship program to encourage first-generation, first-year undergraduate students to study abroad. Visit this page for more details about this scholarship.

Apply in UIC SnaP

Undergraduate or Graduate students going on an approved study abroad program through the UIC Study Abroad Office only can apply for a scholarship award of up to $1,000 to use towards their program in summer, fall, or spring (includes winter break).

The Chris Deegan “Just Do It” Scholarship was created to honor the former UIC Study Abroad Executive Director. Chris served as the Executive Director for the UIC Study Abroad Office for 16 years from 2004-2020. He was instrumental in establishing this office as an integral part of UIC. Chris laid down the foundation for the UIC Study Abroad Office. In his time as Director, he is credited with expanding program offerings, curating an impressive scholarship portfolio, and increasing student participation in international programming worldwide. Over his tenure at UIC, he led the team that developed diversity and inclusion efforts to increase access for underrepresented groups and supported faculty in creating innovative and accessible programming –making UIC a national leader in the diversity of study abroad participants. All of this was supported through intentional efforts that Chris led to enable students to access funding. In 2020, his efforts totaled over $1.2 million dollars of scholarship and grant aid awarded to students. He was a respected and valued member of the international education community and a true leader.

Most importantly, he believed in what he did. He truly changed students’ lives. He cared about every single student who came to his office. Through generous donations from colleagues, family, friends, and students this award was developed to honor his legacy.

Preference will be given to:
* Students traveling to non-traditional locations – Asia (specifically India), Latin America, and Africa. Please do not apply if you are not going to a country within these regions
* Students with a demonstrated financial need
* Students who have never studied abroad before
* Students who demonstrate an intentional choice in program with a clear connection to professional, academic, or personal goals

These opportunities are partner/program specific and are only available to students with active applications with that partner. Students will need to visit their chosen study abroad partner’s website and complete the designated scholarship application for the scholarship opportunities. Each partner has a mixture of merit, diversity, and need-based scholarship opportunities. For the special funding for UIC students, these grants and/or discounts will automatically be applied.

• ACT [American College of Thessaloniki]
  • ACT [American College of Thessaloniki] Scholarships
• Arcadia University, College of Global Studies
  • Arcadia University Scholarships
  • Arcadia Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved Arcadia Abroad programs
• Barcelona SAE
  • Barcelona SAE Scholarships
  • Barcelona SAE Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved Barcelona SAE programs
• CEA CAPA Education Abroad
  • CEA CAPA Scholarships
  • CEA CAPA Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved CEA CAPA programs
• CIEE Study Abroad
  • CIEE Study Abroad Scholarships
  • CIEE Study Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved CIEE programs
• College Year in Athens
  • College Year in Athens Special Funding for UIC Students
• DIS Abroad – Study abroad in Scandinavia 
  • DIS Abroad Scholarships
  • DIS Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved DIS Abroad programs
• IAU Study Abroad 
  • IAU Study Abroad Scholarships
  • IAU Study Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved IAU Study Abroad programs
• IES Abroad 
  • IES Abroad Scholarships
  • IES Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved IES Abroad programs 
• ISA by Worldstrides
  • ISA by Worldstrides Scholarships
  • ISA by Worldstrides Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved ISA by Worldstrides programs
• Loyola University – Rome
  • Loyola University – Rome Scholarships
  • Loyola University – Rome Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved Loyola University – Rome programs
• KEI Abroad
  • KEI Abroad Scholarships
  • KEI Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved KEI Abroad programs
• Lorenzo de’ Medici
  • Lorenzo de’ Medici Scholarships
  • Lorenzo de’ Medici Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved Lorenzo de’ Medici programs
• LSE [London School of Economics]
  • LSE Study Abroad Scholarships
• Semester at Sea
  • Semester at Sea Scholarships
  • Semester at Sea Special Funding for UIC Students
• SFS [School for Field Studies]
  • SFS Scholarships
• SIT Study Abroad
  • SIT Study Abroad Scholarships
  • SIT Study Abroad Special Funding for UIC Students
  • See a list of all approved SIT Study Abroad programs
• Temple University [Rome & Japan]
  • Temple University Scholarships
• University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center  
  • UofM Learning Abroad Center Scholarship
• UW-Platteville Education Abroad
  • UW-Platteville Education Abroad Scholarships

Gilman International Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Summer and Fall Programs – Early March
• Spring and Spring Break Programs – Mid October

Eligibility:

• Pell Grant Recipient
• US Citizenship
• Please confirm with their eligibility page for other requirements

Awards of up to $5,000 and up to $8,000 for critical language award.  Deadlines are early March for summer and fall awards; early October for spring awards. Due to special country partnerships, additional funding may be available for programs in France, Germany, Portugal, Taiwan, Whales, and New Zealand.

Applicants who are studying a critical need language while abroad in a country or location in which the language is predominantly spoken can apply for the Critical Need Language Award supplementary scholarship of up to $3,000. Examples of U.S. Department of State critical need languages are Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, etc.

Applicants who are conducting STEM-related research as part of their study abroad or international internship can apply for the STEM Supplemental Award Scholarship to receive up to $1,000. The research must be formally incorporated into their credit-bearing program. Applicants are not required to major in a STEM field to be eligible.  

Review our recent Gilman Scholarship presentation here.

Gilman-McCain Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Application cycles for Fall, Spring, Spring Break, and Summer are due early January or early March

Eligibility:

• US Citizen or national
• Dependent of active duty or activated United States military personnel during the time of application
• Recipient of any type of Title IV federal financial aid
• Please confirm with their eligibility page for other requirements

Awards of up to $5,000 to study or intern abroad programs. Congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

NSEP (Boren)

Application Deadlines:

• Applications for Fall, Spring, Spring Break, and Summer programs are due end of January 

Eligibility:

• US Citizen or national
• Planning to attend a program outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand

Awards of up to $8,000 for 8-11 week programs (STEM students only); $12,500 for 12-24 week programs; $25,000 for 25-52 weeks. Preference will be given to programs based on their durations, focus on intensive study of a preferred language in a preferred overseas location, and the applicant’s field of study. 

Applicants have the opportunity to apply to the Boren Fellowships which offer $5,000 for in-person summer intensive language domestic study. This funding would apply to the summer immediately before the applicant’s proposed program abroad and the program must start no later than September 30. Students may use the funding for in-person language classes only and in the dominant language of the country of interest.  

FEA [Fund for Education Abroad]

Application Deadlines:

• Applications open late November and close early February.

Eligibility:

• U.S. Citizen, permanent resident or DACA recipient
• Must meet one of the following: FAFSA SAI is below 20,000, eligible for Pell grant, or have taken out any amount of student loans for the current academic year

Up to $10,000 (Academic Year); $5,000 (fall/spring semester); $1,230 (summer). Preference given to under-represented students and locations.

Applicants who identify as LGBTQ+ may also self identify in their FEA application(s) to be considered for the Rainbow Scholarship. The Rainbow Scholarship awards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students who aim to participate in high quality, rigorous education abroad programs.

DAAD [German Academic Exchange Service]

Application Deadlines:

• Vary based on Scholarship

Eligibility:

• Varies based on Scholarship

Scholarship database. Students can apply to the University Summer Course Grant if they are studying language or area studies at a German university and/or affiliated language schools. Open to Undergraduate and graduate students for study and/or research opportunities.

Rise Germany

Application Deadlines:

• Applications open between October and November
• Letters of recommendation must be submitted before December deadline

Eligibility:

• Graduation date is no more than 7 months ago at the time of application.
• International students must be in the country for at least 12 months at the time of application
• German language requirements depend on the nature of the internship

RISE Germany is a summer internship scholarship program for undergraduate students in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, engineering and computer science.

Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant

Application Deadlines:

• Application portal opens in mid December and are due mid March

Eligibility:

• Must have a cumulative gpa of at least 3.75 on a 4.0 scale
• Does not need to be a Phi Kappa Phi member
• UIC Phi Kappa Phi chapter must be active on campus
• Program must begin between May 1 and June 30.
• You are not a sitting Phi Kappa Phi board member, divisional president, member of study abroad award committee or society employee at time of application.

Awards of up to $1,000.

Delta Phi Alpha German Honorary Society

Application Deadlines:

• Applications are due Mid-March each year. Award winners are notified in April. 

Eligibility:

• Must be learning German, be a member of UIC’s Delta Phi Alpha Chapter, currently enrolled, and have not previously won an award. 

Up to one $1,500 and up to four $500 awards for a student studying in a German-speaking country during the fall semester. 

Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-Asia)

Application Deadlines:

• Applications for the academic year open in February. 

Eligibility:

• Demonstrate financial need (FAFSA recipient)
• Plan to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia

Awards of up to $3,000 for a summer program (8 weeks minimum); $5,000 for a semester; $7,000 for a full academic year. 

US-Japan Bridging Foundation

Application Deadlines:

• Applications for the academic year open in the Spring.

Eligibility:

• Must be planning to attend a program in Japan.
• Program must be at least 3 months.

Up to $2,500 [semester] – $4,500 [academic year] awarded to undergraduate students participating in a study abroad program in Japan for a semester or an academic year.

Diversity Abroad Scholarships

Searchable database

DIWC Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Summer Applications open March 1 to April 14
• Fall Applications open June 3 to July 15
• Spring Applications open October 6 to November 17

Eligibility:

• Citizen or resident of the US
• Be a woman of color but not limited to Black or African-American, Native American or Indigenous, Hispanic/Latina and Asian.
• Must have a minimum 2.7 GPA

Awards of $500 from the Diverse International Women of Color Study Abroad Scholarship are intended to assist women of color who are exceptional in their studies and in need of financial assistance.

Butex Awards in the UK

Application Deadlines:

• Applications for the academic year vary.

Eligibility:

• Varies for award and institution. 

Awards of £500 for students studying at select UK institutions. 

Toshizo Watanabe Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Applications for the academic year vary.

Eligibility:

• Pursuing a program of at least 3 months in Japan.

The scholarship will support up to the full cost of attendance of a semester or full year program in Japan.

**Priority given to students who were raised by a single parent, first generation students, and/or applicants without international study experience. 

Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Fall Applications due in April and Spring Applications due in November.

Eligibility:

• Applications for the academic year are due at the end of February each year.

Award of up to $1,000 and a travel backpack. Scholarship may be used for tuition, room and board, books or travel. 

The Going Abroad Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Applications due March 15, 2025 and October 15, 2025.

Eligibility:

• The Going Study Abroad Scholarship is open to any citizen and/or resident of the United States (and its territories and possessions) who is enrolled full-time at an accredited institution of higher learning.
• Students participating in a summer program are eligible to apply.

The Going scholarship awards $1,500 to two students each spring and fall.

Hosteling International Explore the World Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Applications due January or February for a full academic year.

Eligibility:

• Open to anyone pursuing a study abroad program.

Awards of up to $2,000. 

Southwest Airlines Community Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Applications due in February for the full academic year.

Eligibility:

• Open to anyone pursuing a study abroad program.
• Must demonstrate a career interest in the airline industry (frontline operations, customer service, finance, marketing, aircraft maintenance, flight operations, communications, etc)
• Must have at least a 3.5 GPA
• Must be 24 years of age or younger

Scholarships for $5,000 an academic year to study or intern abroad (can be renewed the following year).

LiveMás Taco Bell Foundation Scholarship

Application Deadlines:

• Applications open from November to January full academic year.

Eligibility:

• Open to anyone pursuing a study abroad program.
• Must be no older than 26 years old
• Must be a legal resident of the US, or the dependent child of an active duty member of the U.S. military
•  Restricted to programs run by U.S. institutions only (no exchange programs).

Students submit a 2-minute video entry describing their goals and passions. Not merit-based or need-based, but intended for students interested in impacting the world through innovation, creativity, and drive.

APIA Scholarship Program

Application Deadlines:

• Applications open from November to January full academic year.

Eligibility:

• Open to anyone who identifies as Asian Pacific Islander pursuing a study abroad program.

Scholarships range from $2,500 to $20,000. Award disbursement prioritizes low income and/or first-generation students. 

Corinne Jeannine Schillings Foundation (Girlscouts)

Application Deadlines:

• Summer and Fall semester application cycles close in May.
• Spring semester application cycles close early December. 

Eligibility:

•  Girl Scouts who have attained the Girl Scout Silver or Gold Awards

Scholarships for at least $1,000 to study abroad or to study a foreign language.