The Education Abroad Office (EAO) has launched new scholarship programs and funding levels beginning summer 2019. In an effort to enhance study abroad participation and maximize the impact on each recipient, EAO has created four new award categories and increased award amounts. EAO will now offer two new payment deferment programs to reduce barriers to participation for students with high financial need.
“We have been pleased with the increase in student participation for education abroad programs but we always look for ways to be more inclusive and provide access to students at all phases of their academic career. The new scholarship options we are offering will create a broad portfolio of opportunities for all our students,” associate vice chancellor for international engagement and global strategies Sonia Feigenbaum said.
Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,500 will be awarded based on the student’s year at UNL and the length of time spent overseas during the education abroad program.The new funding levels will encourage students to pursue opportunities abroad early on in their academic careers so they can incorporate the benefits of education abroad into their remaining time on campus. This approach builds upon the success of the Early Abroad Scholarship, which supports students going abroad within their first two years at UNL. New opportunities include:
- Trailblazer Scholarship: supports First Generation undergraduate students pursuing education abroad, as well as students with no previous travel experience outside North America.
- STEMGen Abroad Scholarship: encourages participation of STEM students in education abroad programs. Preference will be given to students pursuing a program with clear applicability to their STEM degree.
- Career Connection Scholarship: rewards students who draw a strong connection between their education abroad program and their academic and career goals. Also aids students pursuing credit-bearing, unpaid or low-paid internships, research, or service learning abroad.
- LinkedLanguage Scholarship: promotes intensive language learning abroad for UNL first/second year students to study Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish, for at least four weeks. Scholarship recipients are required to enroll in and complete at least two semesters of the same language upon their return to UNL.
“The Trailblazer and STEMGen awards will reach student populations currently underrepresented in education abroad programs at UNL,” added EAO director Rebecca Baskerville. “Equally important, the Career Connection and LinkedLanguage scholarships will promote skills development to help students meet their professional goals.”
Students will use the MAPS (Multi-Award, Program-Specific) Application, formerly known as the Basic Scholarship Application, to apply to the four new scholarship programs. As with the previous application, MAPS will remain the application used for a variety of other UNL scholarships. The Early Abroad Scholarship will continue to have its own distinct application process as it gives students the opportunity to secure the award in advance of selecting a program.
Additionally, effective Summer 2019 and beyond, EAO will offer the following options to any University of Nebraska-Lincoln student who is participating on a UNL faculty-led program and has an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) below $10,000. These options will serve as a “bridge” during the three to four months between committing to a program and purchasing airfare, and receiving scholarships and financial aid.
- Commitment Deposit Payment Deferment Plan: Eligible students will commit to a program by signing an agreement with the EAO instead of paying an initial deposit.
- Airfare Assistance Program (AAP): EAO staff will partner with Travel and Transport on behalf of eligible students to purchase airfare for programs with individual flight reservations.
These two programs, used individually or together, will defer the most significant upfront costs by aligning the billing of all program costs with the disbursement of the student’s financial aid at the beginning of the term abroad.
“We’re really excited about the new scholarship and deferment options, and hope these offerings will help move students from initial interest to making their dreams a reality,” said Baskerville.
For more information, please review the Education Abroad scholarships website.