Grants for Student Travel

See the World While Working on Your Degree

Traveling within the realm of higher education has the power to expand the classroom from a brick and mortar building to the outer limits of the globe. Student travel combines the hands on learning of new and different environments with the intellectual growth of the university, enabling students from all countries and spheres to learn from other cultures first hand. Students enrolled in a college or university degree program may be eligible for travel for either study abroad programs or to attend special events, conferences and annual meetings.

In most cases the purpose of student travel achieves a couple of different goals: it widens the experience of those who choose to study and those who choose to teach, and allows participation in venues where academic excellence is applauded and research is shared. Additionally, it can cement the knowledge of history, geography, and culture like no test or term paper, and often becomes a tool in the globalization of the world by dispersing students in foreign lands, whether temporarily or long-term.

Study Abroad Grants

Many students choose to study abroad, but usually on their own dime which can be an expensive endeavor. Study abroad programs are nothing remotely novel; they have been happening among colleges and universities since the close of WWII. Fortunately the international scene has become more open and welcoming of American students. Where once students had few options of location, there are now dozens for each particular field of interest. Study Spanish art history or teach English in Spain, study environmental architecture in China, or immerse yourself in physical sciences in the Netherlands, among dozens of other disparate locations.

Check with the study abroad or international travel department of colleges and universities you are interested in. Many have study abroad guidance counselors who are skilled at matching students with a culture, timeline, course of study, language and location they will gain from.

Emory University’s Center for International Programs Abroad

For example, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia is home to the Center for International Programs Abroad (CIPA), an office dedicated to fulfilling the university’s commitment to internationalization through travel. The Center is able to connect and fund both undergraduate and graduate students with programs that best suit them, as well as offering scholarship and grant opportunities for students accepted into a country’s program.

CIEE

The CIEE is a leading administrator and advocate of study and teach abroad programs. Each year they provide over three million dollars in student funding for travel abroad, and they maintain over 100 different programs in over forty countries. Armed with the right skill set – including language and major field of study, a student may find an opportunity to teach or study in Poland, Chile, or Bolivia. The study abroad section of their website links students to home-stay programs as well as cultural excursions offered that are unique to each host country.

Students seeking travel grants will find many maintained by the CIEE such as:

• The John E. Bowman Travel Grants. These are awarded to students who wish to study abroad in non-traditional locations.
• The Peter Wollitzer Scholarships for Study in Asia. These $2000 awards are given each semester to students with the intention of studying anywhere in Asia.
• The Michael Stohl Scholarship. This awards are targeted towards students with a nontraditional background, who are economically disadvantaged or first generation college students, and who have the intention of doing research while abroad.

Global Studies Grant for Student Travel and Study Abroad

The Global Studies Foundation provides a travel grant for American students already studying abroad through an accredited institution. The grant is particularly targeted towards the study of strategically important countries and language training for the students within them. The application is due in July.

Grants for Educational Meetings and Conferences

Select groups of undergraduate and graduate students have been included in key educational conferences and meetings for decades to provide auxiliary support, represent their peers well, and to compete intellectually. Especially in colleges and universities where students have conducted research and studies they are often asked to make presentations of projects, research studies, even publications that offer current updates to existing knowledge bases and even the results of new and innovative research.

Students often figure prominently in research studies particularly in the area of health care, science, and mathematics. Their participation is often a requirement for their degree and small grants can be awarded to help cover costs of travel expenses. Often stipends of between $500 and $1,000 are typical for educational conference expenses.

John E. Skinner Memorial Scholarship

For example, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) sponsors the John E. Skinner Memorial Scholarship, which sends one deserving graduate student or exceptional undergraduate student to the AFS annual meeting. The Scholarship will provide up to an $800 stipend for a student to travel to and from the meeting. The award is open to any student active in the study of fisheries or the aquatic world.

University of Illinois Graduate Travel Grants

The University of Illinois also provides travel grants to its graduate students to attend professional conferences. These $300 awards support students who plan to share papers or creative work from their studies with the conference attendees, and are intended to be a push toward professional development for their students.

Multiple Roads to Travel

There are many paths a student can travel to find themselves the learner or teacher in another state or country. Travel grants and study abroad opportunities are one of the most fruitful ways for universities to spread their knowledge and resources throughout the globe. The travel resources are abundant for passport-armed students willing to try something new and unforgettable.