Hobart and William Smith Colleges

The following are descriptions and links to scholarship and funding opportunities that we encourage you to apply for, since these awards can help to offset the cost of your HWS study abroad program.

General Funding

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship provides qualified students up to $5,000 for a semester, academic year, or short-term (HWS J-term or Summer) study abroad program. Please note: this scholarship is only open to Federal Pell Grant recipients – check with the financial aid office if you're not sure if you are a recipient of the Pell Grant. Begin the process in January for Summer and Fall programs and in August for J-term and Spring programs.

Boren Scholarship: The Boren Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $10,000 for US citizens participating in study abroad. You must have been accepted to a language-immersion program in one of the Boren “priority” nations (Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Taiwan, Vietnam). Recipients of the award must agree to seek work with the U.S. government after completing your education (FBI, CIA, Peace Corps, US State Department, US Justice Department, etc). The program deadline is typically in early February.

The Bright!Tax Global Scholar Initiative provides awards of $1000 (or more) to up to 150 American students studying abroad or foreign nationals studying in the US each year. Applicants must have a 3.8 gpa or higher to apply and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships of up to $5000 for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The application deadline is in early April.

Fund for Education Abroad provides US citizens and permanent residents with demonstrated need the opportunity to win up to $5000 for a semester program or at least $1000 for a short-term program to be applied to any program or location worldwide.  Applications deadlines are in September and January or February each year.

Kezian Scholarships for the Sciences offers $1,200 for students majoring in a field within the sciences. Deadline is late-March for programs taking place during the following academic year.

Tortuga offers a $1000 study abroad scholarship (and a free travel backpack) available to students bound for any destination abroad. Application deadlines are in May (for Fall semester programs) and December (for Spring semester programs).

HIUSA Explore the World Scholarships $2000 This scholarship is for students with demonstrated HIGH financial need who live in specific US cities (including NY City, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles) to pursue study abroad in any location overseas. Deadline: Early March.

Scott's Cheap Flights This organization offers a $1000 scholarship for students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents bound for any destination abroad. Deadline is mid-March for Fall semester programs.

Sleeknote Scholarship $1000. This scholarship is opportunity is open to all students who will be enrolled in a college-level program during the Fall semester. The scholarship can be used either domestically or abroad. Deadline is mid-January for Fall programs and mid-September for Spring programs.

The HWS Center for Global Education maintains a variety of funds to provide awards to HWS students to defray travel and related costs. These funds include: The Mabel Farnum Fund, The William Smith Class of 1980 Centennial Fund, the Lee von Seldeneck ’91 Study Abroad Fund, the Hertzfeld-Higgins Study Abroad Fund, the McGuire Study Abroad Fund, the HWS/API Travel Award Fund and the CGE Travel Grant Fund. All students with demonstrated need that are accepted to HWS programs will be eligible to apply for these scholarships in the semester before they leave for their program. The deadline is early-February for Fall semester programs and mid/late-September for Spring programs. Click HERE to view more information and apply online. Note that the Mabel Farnum and Centennial Fund awards are for William Smith students only and the Lee von Seldeneck '91 award is for Hobart students only.

The Samek '42/Stamatiou '13 Student International Initiatives Fund (SIIF) is a competitive small grant program for students participating in an HWS study abroad program. Through this program, students may apply for funding to support a project abroad that enables them explore a topic of interest while digging deeper into the culture and society in which they are living. Click HERE to view and download the Information Sheet. Contact Tom D’Agostino for more information: tdagostino@hws.edu.

Resources for Additional Funding

Goabroad.com has put together a list of scholarships for study abroad searchable by country and/or subject area.

Studyabroad.com provides a list of study abroad scholarships and grants with clickable links to various sources of funding.

University of Minnesota's Learning Abroad Center’s website includes a search engine that can be used to identify scholarships and other sources of funding to support international experiences.

Post-Graduate Funding

The Fulbright Fellowship Program offers opportunities for recent graduates, postgraduate candidates, and others to conduct career-launching study and research abroad. This is a very competitive program, so plan early! You should talk to Scott MacPhail in Career Services before applying.

The George J. Mitchell Scholarship is a prestigious, competitive, national scholarship to enable American citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 to pursue one year of post-graduate study in any discipline offered at institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Marshall Scholarships are awards for graduate study in any field at a British university. Occasionally these are awarded for undergraduate study.

Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees are paid on the Scholar's behalf by the Rhodes Trustees.

St. Andrew's Society of the State of New York provides scholarships to promote cultural interchange and goodwill between Scotland and the United States. Applicants must be Americans of some Scottish descent and must be college seniors living in or within 250 miles of New York State with a desire to pursue a graduate program in Scotland. The scholarship provides funds of up to $20,000 to be used initially against tuition, then board, transportation, and other expenses. Deadline to apply: early/mid-December of your senior year.

Program-Specific Funding

After consulting the websites for the various scholarships listed below and printing out the application forms, please see Amy Teel in the CGE office if you plan to apply for any of these scholarships so she can advise you further.

Taiwan (Taipei-CET)

CET Academic Programs offer supplemental scholarships to HWS students who have been selected to attend their semester program in Taipei.

Foundation for Asia-Pacific Education: Funds semester study abroad locations in Australia (Perth, Queensland, Townsville); Hong Kong; New Zealand (Auckland) South Korea (Seoul), Taiwan (Taipei), and Vietnam.

Chile (Valparaiso-API)

Chile (Valparaiso) API (Academic Programs International) has a variety of scholarships ranging from $250 - $1000 for students accepted to their Chile program. The deadline for Spring programs (the HWS program in Valparaiso is a Spring program only) is mid-October. Students participating on an API program who have been awarded a Gilman scholarship will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 in matching contributions from API. To receive this award, Gilman winners should indicate their scholarship details on their financial aid information after acceptance to an API study abroad program. API Scholarship applications are available in your API student portal.

Denmark (Copenhagen-DIS)

DIS offers need-based scholarships to HWS students who have been selected to attend their semester program in Copenhagen. These are very competitive, so only students with significant financial need and special circumstances should apply. Note that you must go through Amy Teel in the CGE office to apply for this scholarship.

England (Bath-ASE)

ASE (Advanced Studies in England) offers supplemental scholarships to HWS students who have been selected to attend their semester program in Bath.

England (London-FIE)

FIE (The Foundation for International Education) offers the Sharif Rahman Scholarship to students accepted to the FIE program in London. The $1,000 scholarships are available for semester-based programs only and application is by written competition.

England (Norwich-University of East Anglia)

BUTEX offers £500 scholarships for students who will be participating in semester-long study abroad programs based at a member university or organization in the UK (The University of East Anglia is a member.) The deadline to apply for Fall/Spring programs is mid-June.

France (Grenoble-API)

France (Grenoble) API (Academic Programs International) has a variety of scholarships ranging from $250 - $1000 for students accepted to their Grenoble, France program. The deadline is mid-October for Spring programs and mid-April for Fall programs. Students participating in an API program who have been awarded a Gilman scholarship will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 in matching contributions from API. To receive this award, Gilman winners should indicate their scholarship details on their financial aid form after acceptance to an API study abroad program. API Scholarship applications are available in your API student portal.

Germany (Berlin, Bremen, Freiburg, Leipzig, and Tuebingen)

DAAD provides information on the German higher education system and has a database on scholarships and funding for study in Germany.

IES offers various scholarships to students accepted to the Berlin IES and Freiburg IES programs.

The Julius G. Blocker ’53 Endowed Fund is a grant program designed specifically for HWS students studying in any of the CGE program locations in Germany. In order to qualify for funding, students must be accepted to participate in one of the Colleges’ off-campus programs in Germany, take German language courses prior to going abroad and while in Germany, and complete a project in which they explore some aspect of German culture. Recipients of the Blocker Fellowship will also be expected to share their experiences with the HWS community following completion of their study abroad program. Contact Tom D’Agostino, Dean for Global Education (tdagostino@hws.edu) or Professor Eric Klaus (klaus@hws.edu) for more information, or consult the Blocker website.

Hungary (Budapest-API)

Hungary (Budapest) API (Academic Programs International) has a variety of scholarships ranging from $250 - $1000 for students accepted to their Hungary program. The deadline is mid-October for Spring programs and mid-April for Fall programs. Students participating in an API program who have been awarded a Gilman scholarship will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 in matching contributions from API. To receive this award, Gilman winners should indicate their scholarship details on their financial aid information after acceptance to an API study abroad program. API Scholarship applications are available in your API student portal.

Japan (Hikone-JCMU)

The Study in Japan Endowed Fund is a grant program designed specifically for HWS students studying in Japan. In order to qualify for funding students must be accepted to participate in the Colleges’ off-campus program in Hikone, Japan. In addition, grant recipients must develop a plan to share their experiences with the HWS community following completion of their study abroad program. Contact Tom D’Agostino, Dean for Global Education (tdagostino@hws.edu) for more information.

The US-Japan Bridging Foundation awards scholarships to U.S. undergraduates to study for one semester or academic year in Japan. The Foundation aims to expand the opportunities for study abroad in Japan to help prepare America's young people to assume future global leadership roles. Students must be accepted into a program in Japan. Bridging Scholarships do not cover tuition but allow for stipends of $2,500 for the semester to cover travel and daily cost-of-living expenses.

Jordan, Tunisia (SIT)

SIT (School of International Training) offers various scholarships to HWS students accepted to their program in Amman, Jordan and Tunis, Tunisia. The awards range from $550 - $5500. SIT also provides matching grants to all students receiving Federal Pell Grant funding when it is applied to any SIT semester program.

The Netherlands (Maastricht-UCM)

The Maastricht Enrichment Grant program provides students accepted to the HWS program in Maastricht program the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $650 to undertake independent academic/cultural enrichment activities during the course of their semester abroad.  The purpose of this funding is to encourage students to immerse themselves in the local culture and/or learn more about something of particular academic or personal interest. Grant-related activities may take place in Maastricht or in other locations in the Netherlands or in Europe generally. Accepted students will be contacted about this opportunity in the semester before departure. Click HERE to view and download the application.

Portugal (Lisbon-API)

API has a variety of scholarships ranging from $250 - $1000 for students accepted to their Lisbon, Portugal program. The deadline is mid-October for Spring programs and mid-April for Fall programs. Students participating on an API program who have been awarded a Gilman scholarship will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 in matching contributions from API. To receive this award, Gilman winners should indicate their scholarship details on their financial aid information after acceptance to an API study abroad program.

Spain (Seville-API)

API has a variety of scholarships ranging from $250 - $1000 for students accepted to their Seville, Spain program. The deadline for Fall programs (the HWS program in Seville is a Fall program) is in June. Students participating on an API program who have been awarded a Gilman scholarship will be eligible to receive up to $1,000 in matching contributions from API. To receive this award, Gilman winners should indicate their scholarship details on their financial aid information after acceptance to an API study abroad program.

Sweden (Stockholm–DIS)

DIS offers need-based scholarships to HWS students who have been selected to attend their semester program in Stockholm. These are very competitive, so only students with significant financial need and special circumstances should apply. Note that you must go through Amy Teel in the CGE office to apply for this scholarship.

Summer Study Abroad

Critical Language Scholarships - CLS institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students. Some language scholarships are available to beginners while others are available to intermediate or advanced students. The scholarship covers the following languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu.