Scholarships

Drake offers scholarships for international education experiences.

Our office recommends that you apply to Drake’s Global Learning Scholarships, as well as to outside scholarships to help fund your program abroad. Donors to Drake have been generous in offering funding specifically for international programs, and our office is happy to award more than $100,000 a year to Drake students to help them afford a life transforming educational experience in a global setting.

In additional to Drake scholarships, there are also external organizations that offer funding for international experiences, and we strongly recommend exploring these options too. Make sure to apply early, as many scholarships deadlines occur before the study abroad deadline!

Drake Global Learning Scholarships

These scholarships are designed to enable students to reach their full potential as responsible global citizens. Most scholarships are financial need based but have slightly different selection criteria.

In the online application, students are prompted to write up to two essays, if they are interested in applying for a Global Learning Scholarship. The first essay question is, "How will the program support you in reaching your academic, personal, and professional goals?" The second essay question is specifically for students interested in applying to the Levin Scholarship (see below), and that essay question is, "How will the program enhance your understanding between persons of different faiths?" When a student writes one or both essays, our office evaluates which of the scholarships listed below the student is eligible for.

Apply for a Drake Global Learning Scholarship through your online education abroad application!

• Burmeister Scholarship for Uganda Summer Travel Seminars
• David Wright Scholarship for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Majors
• Gendron Scholarship for Non-European Programs
• Johansen Scholarship for Pharmacy and Health Science Majors
• Levin Scholarship for Promoting Better Understanding Between Persons of Different Faiths
• Nelson Scholarship for International Relations, International Business, Language minors, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and Global and Comparative Health
• Olson Global Service-Learning Scholarship
• The Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Scholarship
• Thibodeau Scholarship for Global Citizenship
• Zimpleman Scholarship for Global Experiential Learning

Outside International Scholarships

If you are applying to an Affiliate program, you are likely eligible for their scholarships and grants. These may be need or merit-based awards and require a separate application directly with the Affiliate partner. Scholarship deadlines may be earlier than the study abroad program deadline, therefore, early planning can pay off! Check out other sources for study abroad scholarships:

• Boren Scholarship is sponsored by the National Security Education Program and provides up to $20,000 to study a language or area that has been deemed critical to U.S. foreign interests. See more details below about the application timeframe and deadline.
• Critical Language Scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and is a government effort to increase American citizens mastery of critical foreign languages, frequently those that are less commonly taught in the U.S.
• Fastweb College Scholarships
• Freeman Asia Scholarship
• Fund for Education Abroad
• Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by the Department of State and provides awards for undergraduate students who receive Pell grants as part of their financial aid package. See more details below about the application timeframe and deadline.
• GoOverseas.com Scholarships
• International Scholarships
• Rotary International Scholarships
• StudyPortals Scholarships
• Scholarships.com
• StudyAbroad.com Scholarships
• Scholarships to study in Australia
• Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship
• Bridging Scholarships for study in Japan
• Mext Scholarships for study in Japan
• DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service is administered by the German Government, this program provides short and long-term scholarships for Americans wanting to go to Germany. This includes internship exchanges in science labs, the German Bundestag (Congress), and journalistic areas.
• Fulbright United Kingdom (U.K.) Summer Institutes are intended for academically distinguished U.S. students (3.7 GPA or higher) who are Freshman or Sophomores, and have little to no travel experiences abroad.