Financial Aid and Scholarships

Scholarships

The UNC Asheville Study Abroad Office is pleased to administer a number of awards for study abroad, made possible by generous donors who value the benefits of international education. All award recipients must be making successful progress towards graduation and must plan to maintain full-time enrollment status while abroad on a UNCA program (equivalency of 6 credit hours in Summer, 12 credit hours during the Fall or Spring Semester). Students will be considered for any award for which they meet the criteria.

UNC Asheville Grants and Awards for Study Abroad

McClinton Scholars Program

The McClinton Scholars Program was established in 2022 with a generous $1 million dollar gift from Susan and Ray McClinton. This program provides substantial financial support to students participating in semester-long study abroad. To be eligible you must:

• be enrolled in a semester-long study abroad program

Awardees will be selected from a range of disciplines, majors, and destinations to engage a diverse range of regional, linguistic, and cultural contexts. Academic merit and financial need will both be considered in selecting McClinton Scholars, with priority given to students who demonstrate both.

Gallaher Family Global Studies Fund

Because of a high regard for the UNC Asheville, and a sincere desire to provide study abroad opportunities to students the Gallaher Family established their fund in 2022 to support the provision of an annual need-based award of $2000 to a student seeking to participate in a faculty-led study abroad program. To be
eligible you must:

• be enrolled in a faculty-led study abroad program.

Financial need will be considered in selecting the Gallaher Family scholarship recipient with the person demonstrating the highest need given top priority.

Other Funding Resources and Opportunities

The links below are other sources of aid you may apply for. Although this is not a comprehensive list, it can help you begin your research and explore multiple resources to fund your study abroad experience.

• Scholarship Finder Search – scholarships available only to students going abroad who meet the requirements
• AIFS Study Abroad – scholarships available only to students going abroad with AIFS
• American Association of Teachers of Japanese (Bridging Scholarship)
• Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship (for students already receiving federal Pell Grant funding)
• Boren Scholarship – Program Scholarships and Fellowships focusing on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad
• Critical Language Scholarship – The CLS Program is a nationally competed award open to all eligible U.S. undergraduate and graduate students in every field
• CDS International
• DAAD (specific to study in Germany)
• FinAid for Study Abroad Program – information on financial aid for college and tips on how to help ease the burden of college expenses
• Freeman-ASIA Scholarship – scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia
• Fulbright Scholarship – With advance notice, the UNCA Fulbright Committee will be pleased to help in the Fulbright application process for a post-bac experience. For more information on the program, or to request help and feedback in preparing an application, please contact Heidi Kelley (hkelley@unca.edu) and Eric Roubinek (eroubine@unca.edu) for student inquiries.  For faculty inquiries, please contact Tiece Ruffin (truffin@unca.edu) and Charlotte Smith (csmith20@unca.edu).
• Fund for Education Abroad – scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study-abroad population. FEA makes life-changing, international experiences accessible to all by supporting students of color, community college, and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs
• IES Study Abroad – Need-based aid, grants, and scholarships available only to students going abroad with IES
• IES Social Impact Scholarship – The Hemera Foundation Summer Social Impact Internship Scholarship was initiated by the Hemera Foundation, whose mission is to foster basic human goodness in individuals and society. This Scholarship, which will be sustained through a foundation collaborative, aims to inspire students to make a social impact through summer internships within philanthropic or direct service/social service organizations. Scholarship available only to students going abroad with IES
• NAFSA Resources for Students – links to help with financial aid
• National Science Foundation (focus on social sciences, chemistry, computers, engineering, geosciences, math,  physics, psychology, and other related fields)
• PHI KAPPA PHI Abroad Grant – Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grants are designed to help support undergraduates as they seek knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying abroad. Applicants do not have to be Society members but must attend an institution with an active Phi Kappa Phi chapter
• Robert B. Bailey Scholarship and other CIEE Scholarships – specific to groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in study abroad
• Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships – four different grant types but students must become a Rotary member
• Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship – Study Abroad in Japan
• WorldStrides Study Abroad – scholarships available only to students going abroad with WorldStrides faculty-led programs