General Eligibility Requirements
At the time of applying for any of the Foundation scholarships, you must be enrolled in a North American college or university where transfer credit from an academic program abroad will be applied to your degree being earned.
You must be a US or Canadian citizen
Your year in college may be any one of the following:
- Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior
- Medical School
- Law School
- Graduate School
- Community College (2 year)
Your program abroad is one of the following:
- Academic Semester (taking classes at a university)
- Service Learning
- Internship
- Short Term Program
- Research
- Summer Programs
- Academic Year
- Other program which meet all eligibility requirements
Over 200 scholarships between $500 and $2,500 will be awarded this calendar year for U.S. and Canadian citizens to study internationally. Award amounts will vary with the average award being approximately $1,000. All decisions regarding scholarship awards are those of the Foundation and are final.
If awarded a scholarship from the Foundation, you will have one year from the date of your award email to provide the necessary confirmations to collect your scholarship check from the Foundation.
The Foundation Scholarships
- There are no additional eligibility requirements beyond those listed above in the "general eligibility" section
In addition to the "general eligibility" requirements listed above, students must have an academic major at their home university in one of the following areas in order to apply for the STA Travel Scholar Award (academic minors in these areas are not eligible):
- Photography
- Film or Art
- Travel and Tourism
- Foreign Language
STA Travel Inc. is a global travel specialist with 30 years experience helping students, teachers and young professionals travel the world. STA Travel offers a unique range of products with exclusive discounts on airfare, accommodations, tours, rail passes and more. Globally, STA Travel is present in 90 countries with 400 retail locations, sending over 6 million travelers away each year. "Our mission is to create opportunities for students and young adults to experience the world around them," said Kevin Jacobs, STA Travel's managing director. "This donation helps us achieve that mission and give deserving students the opportunity to study abroad where they can learn just as much about themselves as the world around them."
STA Travel, Inc. award recipients will receive 80% of their scholarship upon confirmation of participation in program abroad and full payment of program fees. The remaining 20% will be sent upon completion of program and fulfilling requirements below.
If you are selected as a recipient of the the STA Travel Scholar Award you must:
- Students should blog 3 times during their trip, with a copy to STA Travel and the Foundation. Your blog should consist of just a few sentences and a photograph. Detailed requirements will be provided if awarded this scholarship.
- Students should do a final blog reflecting on their experience, and thanking STA in the blog.
- Students should do a final report on their study abroad experience, outlining how the STA Travel scholarship helped further his or her interest in travel and encouraging others to have study abroad experience. This should be 500 words or less in a word document or similar format.
- Lastly, STA Travel expects you to take photographs and make them available to the company for their promotional use.
All STA Travel Scholar Award applicants must submit at the time of their application a letter of reference from a professor with whom you have studied. The reference letter should address the following:
- Please briefly describe the most positive aspects, both personally and academically, of the applicant that makes this person a good candidate for study abroad.
STA Travel Scholar Award ONLY-REQUIREMENT: Instructions for uploading to the Foundation for Global Scholars Online Application. Your reference letter must be received by the Foundation by the deadline or your STA Travel Scholar Award application will not be complete.
Read this entire section carefully!
- All STA Travel Scholar Award Applicants must provide a letter of reference. Failure to submit the required reference letter will deem your STA Travel Scholar Award application ineligible.
- NOTE: DO NOT upload more than ONE document.
- Scan your letter of reference onto your computer or USB and save the document as a .pdf. This is the only file format that our system will allow for upload. When you scan your letter, make sure that you scan all pages of the letter, including front and back. The application system will only allow you to upload one document and the file size must not exceed 5MB. Therefore, you will need to save all pages into one document. Lastly, it’s very important that your documents are legible. If your documents are not legible, this will deem your application ineligible.
- It is in your best interest to upload your letter of reference as soon as possible and to ensure it does not exceed the 5MB file size capacity. Please be aware that if you upload a large file and have a slow internet connection, you could experience technical difficulties, especially closer to and on the deadline day. We encourage you to compress/resize large files, upload your reference letter well in advance of the deadline day, and contact the Foundation immediately with any questions. See the transcripts section for detailed instructions on merging and compressing files, if necessary.
- Important note: If you are chosen as a recipient of this award, you will be required to blog during your time abroad through STA Travel’s website at: STA Travel Blogs and to the Foundation for Global Scholars website. Detailed requirements for the blog will be provided to you. Lastly, STA Travel expects you to take photographs and make them available to the company for their promotional use.
In addition to the "general eligibility" requirements listed above, applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements for this award. Important note about eligibility for this scholarship only: The GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Internship Scholarship does NOT require participants receive academic credit at their home university or college for the internship program. All other general eligibility requirements apply.
- Must be participating in an internship program through GlobaLinks Learning Abroad only
- Minimum GPA 3.0
- Recipients are required to blog throughout their internship and send their blog to GlobaLinks Learning Abroad
- Recipients must also participate in a post experience webinar on Career Development through GlobaLinks Learning Abroad
GlobaLinks Learning Abroad is international education leader in the facilitation of high quality international internships. In addition, we also offer a wide range of other international education programming such as semester/year abroad, short courses, and degree programs. GlobaLinks Learning Abroad understands the importance for students to build and explore careers early and often, not only domestically but in a global context as well. Investing in these types of experiences will help set students on the right professional path by the time they graduate.
“With over 2.5 million graduates entering the job market each year, we want students building their personal brand and skill level as much as possible so they can stand out amongst their competition. Gaining global competencies abroad through an internship is a great way for students to differentiate themselves and build the skills they need to succeed, “said Barbara West, GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Manager of Internship Programs. “We also understand that an unpaid international internship is hard to fund for many students and we want to make this program open to those who might not normally be able to afford an important opportunity like this. We hope that these scholarships will make an international internship possible for a wider range of students.”
In addition to the "general eligibility" requirements listed above, applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements for this award and answer one additional essay question on the scholarship application.
- GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Students only
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Business Major
- Interest in entrepreneurship
- Attending a Semester Abroad program only
Cynthia Banks, CEO of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad, and her family have personally donated an annual scholarship through the Foundation for Global Scholars in support of education abroad for future leaders and in particular for students in business and entrepreneurship. Cynthia was a business student and an entrepreneur who founded the GlobaLinks Learning Abroad organization in 1989. "Our family wishes to support students in their international endeavors so that they also have similar opportunities to explore their interests and career passions," said Cynthia Banks.
Please note: If you are chosen as a recipient of this award, you will be required to prepare a brief presentation (10 minutes) and give it to a class describing your study abroad experience, how it helped further your interest in entrepreneurship and encourage others to have study abroad experience. Provide a video (simple video camera/phone video is fine) of your presentation to the Foundation.
Additional Information for Applicants
- Give concrete examples
- Apply only if you are eligible
- Complete the application in full and follow directions
- Proofread your application
- Watch all deadlines and apply on time!
- Make sure your application gets where it needs to go, feel free to email kbrockwell@foundationforglobalscholars.org to see if your application was received and whether it is complete
Please contact Karen Brockwell at kbrockwell@foundationforglobalscholars.org with any questions pertaining to the Foundation for Global Scholars scholarship application.
The Foundation wants to keep in touch with our award recipients after their program ends and learn how the study abroad experience affects subsequent life experiences such as career choices. We will follow up with recipients upon completion of their program and periodicaly thereafter.
