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Funding sources for science students traveling abroad

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Penn State Scholarships & Grants:

Penn State Education Abroad Scholarships & Grants – Penn State Global's Office of Education Abroad offers several different awards: 

Semester-long or summer abroad students only need to opt-in to all Global scholarships within their Penn State Global application to be considered for all of of the above scholarships.
Faculty-led embedded course students will automatically be considered for the Embedded Programs Scholarship - no application is needed.
The only Penn State Global application that requires a separate application is the Sustainability Scholars Program Award (webpage in development) .

Check out the list of semester-long programs that cost the same (or less than) attending the University Park campus for in-state and out-of-state students. These programs allow students to pay the same or less in total expenses at University Park for an entire semester abroad.

All students studying abroad through Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Kuala Lumpur: Monash University Malaysia, or Melbourne: Monash University for the Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 semesters will receive an additional minimum scholarship of $3,000 per semester.

Student Engagement Network Grant – The Student Engagement Network offers grants funding opportunities for students that support the breadth of student engagement experiences, including education abroad.

Schreyer Ambassador Travel Grant – Schreyer students are eligible to apply for funding to assist with travel expenses on any experience in which they participate (credit or non-credit).

All need-based scholarships are awarded according to your FAFSA filed for the current academic year.

While abroad, students can apply for a Stay Local mini-grant to encourage nearby weekend exploration, and mitigate the environmental impact of plane travel while abroad.

 

Penn State Office of Student Aid:

The Office of Student Aid has information specific to study abroad on their website. Penn State students studying through Education Abroad can use most components of their existing financial aid packages toward the cost of study abroad through Penn State programs. Exceptions are work-study awards and some athletic scholarships.

Students enrolled in for-credit Penn State courses abroad (short-term science, embedded courses, etc.) may contact the Office of Student Aid and request that their Cost of Attendance (COA) be temporarily increased to cover travel costs related to the course. This should then allow the student to receive aid up to this new COA.

If you are not studying on a Penn State-approved program, you are not eligible to receive financial aid from Penn State toward your study abroad program as Penn State does not participate in financial consortium agreements.

Science Global Experiences Scholarship

Awarded to College of Science Students incorporating international experience into their undergraduate degree

The Eberly College of Science supports increasing the accessibility and affordability of study abroad for all interested undergraduate students. The Office of Science Engagement administers the Global Experiences Scholarship to qualified students participating in Penn State study abroad programs.

 

Eligibility and Selection

Recipients must be full-time, undergraduate, Eberly College of Science students (e.g. enrolled in an Eberly College of Science major or pre-major) enrolled in one of the following types of international activities:

  • Semester, academic year, or summer education abroad programs through Penn State’s Education Abroad office
  • Short term embedded courses taught by PSU faculty
  • Research or internship at an international institution through Penn State’s Education Abroad office

Recipients shall be selected from eligible applicants based on a number of factors, including financial need, application responses, program content, program length, program cost, and study abroad experience. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all eligible applicants will receive a scholarship.

 

Award Amount

Award amounts will vary based on scholarship availability, scholarship requirements, and program details. The minimum award amount is $200, and the average award amount is $750.

 

Application Deadlines

October 1

  • Winter break programs, including Tropical Field Ecology (BIOL 499A), and African Savannah Biology (BIOL 497)
  • Spring semester programs, including the ISI Florence Biology Track

January 15

  • Spring short-term abroad programs, including Anatomy in Italy (SC 475N)

February 15

  • Summer programs, including faculty-led classes abroad like Biology of Ecohealth in Tanzania (BIOL 489)

April 1

  • Fall semester programs, including the ISI Florence Physics Track
  • Fall short-term abroad programs
  • Academic year programs

 

Award Recipient Notification and Distribution

Students will be notified by email of scholarship decisions. Every effort will be made to notify recipients prior to the program commitment deadline.

Awards will be distributed to the student’s bursar account for the abroad semester. The award will be removed from the student’s bursar account if the student withdraws from the program, does not participate in the program, or the program is cancelled.

Apply Here for the Science Global Experiences Scholarship