Vira I. Heinz (VIH) Program for Women in Global Leadership

Deadline: November 1st

Eligibility

• Up to 3 RMU students receive this scholarship every year! To apply, you must be/have:
• Female
• Sophomore or junior
• Full-time student status for at least 2 semesters with a Baccalaureate degree in progress
• U.S. citizen
• 3.0 GPA or higher
• Never been out of the US before (except to Canada)

Scholarship Amount

• $5,000 for programs in Western Europe
• $6,000 for programs outside of Western Europe
• Additional funding possible for Pell Grant recipients

Description

This is not simply a study abroad scholarship; this is a leadership development program.

Your study/intern abroad program must take place during the summer and last for at least 28 days in one single country (which must be the first country you visit, aside from flight layovers).

The VIH Program has three principal components: the international experience, the Community Engagement Experience and two weekend-long, intensive leadership development retreats. During the spring semester prior to and the fall semester following their international experiences, the awardees meet in Pittsburgh, PA. These trainings provide the awardees with a foundation of skills necessary to maximize cultural learnings while abroad and to engage their leadership skills in their own communities upon their return.

Past RMU awardees

• 2017: accounting major (Germany), political science major (Morocco)
• 2018: media arts major (Argentina), applied mathematics major (Hungary), accounting major (Oman)
• 2019: engineering major (Chile), engineering major (Costa Rica), engineering major (Iceland)

Website: https://www.viraheinz.pitt.edu/
 

Sanders-ALA Internship

Eligibility

• One RMU student receives this scholarship every summer. To apply, you must be/have:
• African American
• Sophomore or junior at time of application

Scholarship Amount

• Fully-funded summer internship in South Africa, including flight, room, board, and a small stipend

Description

Ambassador Dr. Robin Sanders (RMU Rooney Scholar and alumna) offers one fully-funded scholarship per year for an RMU student to intern abroad for approximately 6 weeks during the summer at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) near Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Intern will work in a position in media, business, or communications or be an educator to support summer high school programs at the ALA.

Past RMU awardees

• 2018: junior Health Services Administration major
• 2019: junior Psychology major

Contact: Dr. Jennifer Creamer (creamer@rmu.edu)

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

Deadline

• Fall/Academic Year Abroad: early March
• Spring Abroad: early October
• Summer Abroad: early October (early application), early March

Eligibility

• The Department of State awards over 2,900 Gilman Scholarships every year. To apply, you must be/have:
• Pell Grant recipient
• U.S. citizen

Scholarship Amount

• Up to $5,000 (depending on length of study and student need)
• Up to $8,000 total if studying certain “critical needs” languages (see website for details)

Description

Your study/intern abroad program must last for at least 21 days in one single country. It must be eligible for credit at RMU.
Applications are evaluated on the following criteria (so make sure you emphasize these points in your essays!):

• Academic preparedness and impact on student’s academic and career trajectory
• Diversity of background and experience
• Destination
• Impact to community

Past RMU awardees

• 2017: political science major (Morocco)
• 2019: early childhood education major (South Africa)
• 2020: Finance & Hospitality and Tourism Management major (South Korea), Management major (Switzerland), Nursing major (Peru), and Political Science major (France)

Website: https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/

Boren Scholarship

Deadline: Early February

Eligibility

• To apply, you must be/have:
• U.S. citizen
• Focusing your experience abroad on improving foreign language ability (even as a complete novice)
• Willingness to work for the federal government for at least 1 year after graduation

Scholarship Amount

• $8,000 for a summer program of 8+ weeks (STEM majors only)
• $10,000 for a semester-long program
• $20,000 for a program of 6-12 months

Description

Recipients must study less commonly taught languages in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, or the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.

Recipients accept a Service Requirement to work for the federal government in the national security arena. Award recipients are not guaranteed a federal job after graduation - they must secure a position themselves. Application essays must include a compelling case as to why the candidate is, or will be, qualified for federal employment with national security responsibilities. Successful applicants make this case by relating their professional, academic, extracurricular, and volunteer experience to duties required of federal employees in national security positions.

You may find your own program abroad, or you may apply to one of the Boren Flagship Language Initiatives in Africa, South Asia, or Indonesia.

Boren encourages ROTC students to apply for a special Boren-ROTC Initiative. To apply, you must be in an inactive, non-drilling status during the Boren-funded overseas study.

Past RMU awardees

• 2019 alternate: accounting major (Arabic in Jordan)

Website: https://www.borenawards.org/

Critical Language Scholarship

Deadline: November

Eligibility

• To apply, you must be/have:
• U.S. citizen
• Enrolled in a degree program at a university at the time of graduation (so December graduates are eligible)
• At least two full-time semesters of university study complete by the study abroad experience

Scholarship Amount

• Fully-funded summer study abroad program, including accommodations, meals, and flight

Description

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program. You apply to study a particular language, rather than applying to a specific program location. You may only apply to one language.

This scholarship is different from other study abroad scholarships. CLS is the study abroad program. For most study abroad scholarships, the money received is used to fund a program students find elsewhere.

Current languages offered are:

• No previous study required: Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu
• One year of previous study required: Arabic, Persian and Portuguese
• Two years of previous study required: Chinese, Japanese, and Russian

Past RMU awardees

• 2019: accounting major (Arabic)

Website: https://clscholarship.org/

Fund for Education Abroad

Deadline

• Fall/academic year abroad:  January
• Spring abroad: September
• Summer abroad: January

Eligibility

• To apply, you must be/have:
• U.S. citizen

Scholarship Amount

• $1,250 – $10,000 (depending on length of study)

Description

Your study/intern abroad program must last for at least 28 days and be eligible for credit at RMU. The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) gives preference to students with demonstrated financial need, and strongly encourages students to apply who represent a group that is traditionally underrepresented in education abroad, including:

• First-generation college students
• Minority students
• Former community college students

Past RMU awardees

• None yet. Will you be the first?

Website: https://fundforeducationabroad.org/