Funding, Scholarships and Research Grants

PLU Financial Aid, Gift Aid and Scholarships apply toward Gateway and (one) Featured Semester Study Away program fees. We recommend you also apply for study abroad scholarships.

Start researching possible scholarships early-at least one term to two years prior to when you plan to go abroad. Most scholarship deadlines are well before the actual program application deadline, sometimes a year or more prior to the actual award year.

PLU Study Away Funding

In addition to these PLU awards, check with your academic department to see if there are other sources of funding within your major. Use the links below to check specific deadlines for each scholarship or award.

  • PLU Global Scholar Award  Scholarship for study away students participating in PLU Gateway or Faculty-Led J-Term programs. Applications are due March 15th for semester programs, April 15th for J-Term programs.
  • Map Your Future Scholarship Currently unavailable. This scholarship was awarded to first-year students in the 18-19 and 19-20 academic years with 30 or fewer credits participating in PLU Short-Term, Gateway, or Featured programs.
  • Wang Center Research Grant The Wang Center gives yearly grants to students and faculty who are interested in completing an international research project.
  • Loren and MaryAnn Anderson Wang Center Student-Faculty Research Award Supports full-time PLU students who are working with their faculty to conduct advanced research in a global context. Grants in the range of $5,000-$8,000 may be used to support travel and living expenses, as well as research project costs. To apply use the Wang Student-Faculty Team Research Grant application available at the above link.
  • Good Trouble Fund Black and African American students are invited to apply to the Good Trouble Fund for funds that support their engagement in academic and cocurricular activities such as the costs such as books, study away, course fees, student/faculty research, professional associations dues, and co-curricular involvement.  Up to $500 funds are available to students on a rolling basis as they are available and can be granted to a student one time in their duration at PLU.
  • Scandinavian Cultural Center Endowed Awards The PLU SCC offers scholarships for study away up to $2,000. Priority is given to study away in Scandinavia or other programs related to Scandinavia.

External Funding Resources

In addition to PLU and Wang Center scholarships, there are many other scholarship opportunities facilitated by scholarship organizations and other providers outside of PLU. Eligibility and application requirements will vary. These scholarships are not awarded by the Wang Center or PLU. Explore the list of scholarships below and use the links to be directed to the organization’s website.

Gilman Scholarship

If you receive a Pell Grant and are planning on applying for study away (including J-Term and semester or full-year study away) you may be eligible to apply for the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. Learn more here.

Scholarships offered by partner program providers

For Featured semester programs, below you will find a link to the program provider’s scholarships page (the first link, in bold) and the program webpage (in italics):

  • CYAGreece – Need based, for semester/academic year only.
  • CIEE –  Costa Rica / South Korea – Various scholarships.
  • IAUFrance – Merit and need based scholarships/grants.
  • IES – Austria/Italy – Various scholarships.
  • GEOLondon – Center Scholarship, Spring only. Ambassador Scholarship. Map Your Future scholarship, first years only.
  • SIT – Various Locations – Need based.
  • VUWWellington, New Zealand – Merit based.

Students studying on Approved Programs (summer or semester) with the above program provider organizations are also encouraged to explore these scholarship opportunities. Other Approved Program providers that offer scholarships include Arcadia and DIS.

Need-based Scholarships

  • Benjamin A. Gilman Award: For students who receive Pell Grants. Semester, academic year, J-Term, or summer.
  • Gilman-McCain Scholarship:  The Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs.
  • Fund for Education Abroad: Preference to students with demonstrated financial need, and strongly encourages students to apply who represent a group that is traditionally underrepresented in education abroad. Semester, academic year, J-Term, and summer (program must be at least 4 weeks long).
  • Gilman-DAAD Germany Scholarship: Applicants must be in good academic standing, and be recipients of the Federal Pell Grant. Selected applicants will receive a study grant of up to $5,000 to be used toward tuition, housing, travel, and related costs for up to one academic year in Germany.

Identity-based Scholarships

  • Diversity Abroad: For students of diverse and minoritized identities. Semester, academic year, J-Term, and summer.
  • Fund for Education Abroad: Preference to students with demonstrated financial need, and strongly encourages students to apply who represent a group that is traditionally underrepresented in education abroad. Semester, academic year, J-Term, and summer (program must be at least 4 weeks long).
  • Rainbow Scholarship for LGBTIA+/Queer Students through the Fund for Education Abroad (program must be at least 4 weeks long).
  • IES Abroad Diversity Scholarships: For students of minoritized/underrepresented identities studying on IES Abroad study away programs.  Semester or summer. (Search for programs here to see which IES Abroad programs are available to PLU students)

Location-specific Scholarships

Asia

Europe

Oceania

  • Go Abroad: For study in New Zealand.  Semester, J-Term, or Summer.

USA

Scholarships for Language Study

Merit-based Scholarships

  • American Chemical Society International Research Experience for Students (IRES) Program: Funded by the National Science Foundation, this program is to encourage talented young chemical and materials scientists to spend a summer conducting research in another country. Competitive applicants will have a GPA above a 3.4.
  • Ashley’s Foundation Scholarship: This is a merit scholarship funded by the Ashley Soulé Conroy Foundation, which was created to honor the life of Ashley Soulé Conroy. Scholars have studied in Japan, China, Prague, Greece, Italy, Spain, India, Australia, Africa, Ireland, Costa Rica, London, Russia, France, Peru, Scotland, New Zealand, Denmark, and Germany. Applicants must have completed at least 30 undergraduate credits, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  • Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship: An $1000 scholarship that may be used for tuition, room and board, books, or travel for any semester program at PLU. Applicants must be full-time students and in good standing.

General Scholarships

Have you found a study away scholarship or funding opportunity that’s not on our list? Let us know at wang.center@plu.edu.

Students interested in exploring social justice and human rights: Learn about Humanity In Action

  • Funds four weeks of summer human rights study in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Berlin, Copenhagen, Sarajevo, or Warsaw
  • Allows you to develop a human rights project over the next 11 months
  • Sign up for email updates

Students interested in language learning: The Critical Language Scholarship is a fully funded opportunity to study a language abroad during summer, see below:

CLS

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

Ayana Freeman (’21) was awarded a $3,500 Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship for her semester in Trinidad and Tobago. The Gilman Scholarship provides funding for students who receive a Pell Grant to study away, especially to those studying a critical language such as Korean, Turkish, Hindi, or Russian while abroad. For more information, click here. Congratulations, Ayana!

“I am very honored and blessed to have received this scholarship. As I prepare to embark on my Study Away journey, my aspiration is to: develop a greater appreciation for the diversity of the Earth’s ecosystems, discover more about myself as an individual, and expand my knowledge of life in Trinidad and Tobago both in the classroom and beyond.” – Ayana Freeman

Congratulations to Amber Richards for winning a $1,000 Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant for her J-Term 2019 program in Windhoek, Namibia! These grants are awarded to students with a GPA of 3.75 and above who wish to seek knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying away. For more information on these grants, click here.

“I am honored to be one of the recipients of the Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant. Thanks to the society’s generous support, I will be able to completely immerse myself in the Namibian culture while I am student teaching in the local classrooms. I am beyond excited for this once in a lifetime opportunity!” – Amber Richards

Congratulations to our Fall 2018 External Scholarship Winners!

Paige Balut – IES Vienna ($1,000)

Marisa Etzell – James Cook University ($2,000)

Sharlaine Hesira – SIT-IHP Climate Change ($2,960)

Tran Hoang – CIEE London ($1,500)

Moses Mbugua – CIEE Paris ($750)

Marisa Etzell at James Cook University, Australia, an Approved Program hosted by Arcadia.