International Studies
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Financing your semester abroad may seem like an overwhelming task. We're committed to making this process as smooth as possible while providing you with information about financing opportunities.
Bethel institutional aid does not apply toward study abroad, but federal and state aid, and external scholarships, may be used for off-campus programs.
Students participating in Bethel-affiliated programs will be billed the amount equivalent to the program charges, plus a nominal administrative charge. We encourage you to meet with a study abroad advisor to discuss the specifics of the organization that you may be working with as your provider.
Financial aid
The following financial aid applies to Bethel-affiliated study abroad opportunities:
- Federal and state aid (i.e. Pell Grant, MN State Grant, loans, etc.)
- Act 6 Scholarship (covers the tuition portion of your semester abroad experience)
- Tuition benefit (applies to the tuition portion of your semester abroad experience)
- External scholarships
Please schedule a meeting with the Office of Financial Aid to discuss your specific aid eligibility.
Scholarship opportunities
Scholarships are a great and often-overlooked way to help finance a study abroad experience. There are several scholarships for study abroad available through various organizations. Requirements for different scholarships vary. Many require a GPA of 3.0 or above, while others are more specifically related to certain fields of study, certain languages, or destination country/region.
Bethel scholarships
Jay and Barb Barnes Global Study Scholarship
- Deadline:
- April 1 (for fall semester programs)
- October 1 (for spring semester programs)
- Eligibility:
- You:
- CAS student
- Full-time degree-seeking student
- 2.5 GPA
- Preference given to applicants who:
- Are seeking their first credit-bearing study abroad experience while enrolled at Bethel
- Demonstrate financial need (must have submitted the FAFSA)
- Your Program:
- Christian
- Semester-long (fall or spring)
- In a non-traditional, international location
- Includes at least 2 weeks of living with a host family or students/other citizens from your host country
- Click here to apply today!
Nationally competitive scholarships
Need-based:
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
- Students receiving a Pell Grant may be eligible for this scholarship, which provides $5,000 for any semester or year abroad.
Freeman Awards for Study in Asia
- Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia.
- FEA invests in deserving U.S. undergraduate students who are least likely to study abroad. More than 100 volunteer reviewers read applications each cycle. In partnership with them, we consider financial need, demographic factors, and academic plan and preparedness to decide our scholarship recipients.
- The U.S. Department of State’s Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for undergraduate child and spousal dependents of active or activated United States military personnel during the time of application to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs.
- Developed under the framework of the State Department’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, the John S. McCain International Scholarship for Military Families (Gilman-McCain Scholarship) is open to eligible students enrolled at accredited U.S. colleges and universities who receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid.
Merit-based:
- The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America's engagement with the world.
David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship for Study Abroad
- Boren Awards are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants identify how their study abroad programs or overseas projects, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined.
Scholarships offered by third-party providers
ISA (by WorldStrides) Scholarships
Oregon Extension Financial Aid
TEAN (by WorldStrides) Scholarships
Uganda Studies Program Scholarships
Veritas (by WorldStrides) Scholarships:
Asia-Pacific Programs
All Other Programs
Scholarship search engines
College Board Scholarship Search
DiversityAbroad.com Scholarship Search
Other scholarships
StudyAbroad.com Scholarship Resources
Other funding sources
Study abroad funding webinar (5:09-9:09; 16:13-30:22)
PDF overview