Scholarships for Summer Study Abroad or International Internships

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, discussed in more detail in the "Scholarships for Study Abroad" section, offers summer Study Abroad grants of $3000 for undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies or career-oriented internships abroad. The program encourages students to choose non-traditional study/intern destinations (i.e. outside of Western Europe). The early application deadline is in October, with the regular deadline in March.

Critical Language Scholarship Program: Critical Language Website

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for American undergraduate and graduate students is fully funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is designed as an overseas language and cultural immersion program that allows Americans to master critical language in order to build relationships between the citizens of the US and other countries. Once the language is mastered, students are expected to apply their skills in professional careers. Languages that are offered (but not limited to) include: Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Indonesian, and Turkish. These programs are very competitive you should craft your application and essays with care. Applications are typically due at the beginning of November.

Cultural Vistas Fellowships for Eight-Week Internships: Cultural Vista Fellowship

Cultural Vistas, a non-profit company that sponsors a variety of study abroad and internship programs, offers 12 fully funded fellowships for students with no previous international experience to intern for two months in Argentina, Germany, or Hong Kong. The fellowship includes airfare, internship placement, housing arrangements and costs, some group meals, and some cultural activities. Applicants must be sophomores or juniors, and students applying to Argentina or Germany must have at least two years of Spanish or German. Students from all majors may apply, but the internships will be related to civic engagement and/or youth involvement. Strong preference will be given to applications from students historically underrepresented in international exchanges, which includes Pell Grant recipients, veterans, first generation college students, minorities, STEM majors, and non-traditional students. Applications are typically due at the beginning of January, and the countries chosen vary from year to year.

Freeman-ASIA Freeman Website

The Freeman Award for Study in Asia, or Freeman-ASIA, provides scholarships for undergraduate students to study abroad in Asia. The program provides monetary assistance to those who are already accepted into a study abroad program in East or Southeast Asia and will be spending at least 8 weeks abroad. The program awards up to $3000 for summer study, $5000 for semester study, and up to $7000 for academic year study. In order to be eligible for the Freeman-ASIA scholarship, students must be United States citizens and be an undergraduate with a minimum GPA of 2.8 studying at an accredited institution. The student must have little or no experience with the country they are planning to study in. Students must also demonstrate financial need through FAFSA. Accepted students are expected to conduct s service project upon their return to the United States. The projects are based on the students' own ideas on how they plan on promoting study abroad interest, as well as their own experience.

Project Global Officer for ROTC Students Project GO

ROTC students who are interested in studying critical languages can apply to Project GO for a scholarship to study a critical language (Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, etc.) intensively in the summer in the US or abroad. Previous language training is not required, and students may choose from a variety of programs listed on the website. If selected, the program will pay airfare, tuition, room and board, textbooks, visas, insurance. Applications are typically due in early January.

State Department Internships: State Website

The U.S. State Department Internship offers an opportunity for outstanding students to complete a summer internship related to US foreign policy in the Washington D.C. or an embassy abroad. The deadline to apply is mid October. The problem is that State Department internships are unfunded, which puts them out of reach for most students. However, truly exceptional students might consider applying anyway, as if you do secure a State Department internship, you will be invited to apply for a few programs that offer funding. The Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship, for example, provides $5000 for three exceptional students who secured an internship in U.S. Embassies in London or Paris, or the Secretary of State's Office in Washington, D.C. Similarly, the Council of American Ambassadors, provides a $7995 scholarship for students chosen for a State Department internship to study foreign affairs at George Washington University.

Grants to Specific Countries (Listed Alphabetically):

Germany: DAAD Scholarships for summer Study Abroad and Intensive Language Study in Germany: DAAD Website

DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service, offers scholarships to help defray the cost of three-four week summer Study Abroad programs for students who have studied German for at least two years in college (or the equivalent). The scholarship pays about $920 to cover part of the Study Abroad program tuition, room and board, as well as up to about $500 for airfare. For students who have at least A1 level German (at least a year), they also offer scholarships of about $2700 to help students attend eight-week intensive language courses at various universities in Germany. Applicants must submit a CV in German as well as a 500 word essay in German; applications are typically due in mid-December. 

Indonesia: United States-Indonesia Society Summer Studies Program US-Indonesia Website

The US-Indonesia Society sponsors a program to Yogyakarta, Indonesia where undergraduate juniors or seniors students live with a family, study the Indonesian language, and intern for two months in the summer with a break in early July. The program also includes some lectures and a trip to Bandung or Jakarta. The program is not free, but it is heavily subsidized: the $2000 program fee covers AIRFARE, tuition, cultural activities, field trips, housing and board, student visas, and health insurance. In addition to the $2000, you would need some spending money and money to travel within Indonesia during the week-long break - perhaps another $1000-$1500. If you were thinking of studying abroad in the summer, this offers an opportunity to spend two months deeply immersed in another culture/language for about $3000-$3500, which is about the same as (or less than) a typical month-long summer study abroad program.​

 Japan: Come on Out Japan Summer Internship Come on Out Website

Come on Out-Japan offers a six-week summer internship program for outstanding American university students to lead discussions about world topics with students at Toshin High School in Japan; students will also be asked to give presentations on their field of study. The program pays for airfare and lodging (dormitories or a home stay) as well as weekly Japanese classes and some meals and excursions. Students must pay a deposit of $500, which is fully refunded upon completion of the program. The website does not stipulate that students must know Japanese, and all teaching will be in English, but students studying Japanese would probably be more competitive applicants for this program. The deadline to apply is typically February. 

Oman: Summer Arabic Language and Media Program in Oman SALAM

This fully funded summer program offers ADVANCED Arabic students (you have to have completed at least 2 years of Arabic by the beginning of the program) six-weeks of intensive language classes in Modern Standard and media Arabic at the Sultan Qaboos College for Teaching Arabic Language to Non-native Speakers in Manah, Oman. The program typically runs from the end of June to mid-Augusts, and students study from 8:00 a.m.-1:30 on Sunday through Thursday. The program includes airfare, room and board, as well as lectures, weekend activitiies, some excursions in Oman, etc. The college is located in a small, conservative town so students are expected to dress very conservatively in public: e.g. floor length skirts or long tunics covering pants and 3/4 length sleeves for women and no shorts for men. Applications for the summer are typically due in mid-January.

Russia: Russian Government Grant to Study Russian Carmel Institute

The Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History at American University oversees Russian Government Scholarships, Rossotrunischestvo Funding, which offers full tuition grants and housing scholarships (no airfare) for students from any American university who plan to enroll in Russian language courses in Russia during the summer or academic year. Information about Russian language programs may be found at https://russia.study/en (click "Additional Programs" and then the type of program you're interested in). The first step in the application process must be emailed to American University by January 5; however, approved applicants then must submit a lot of paperwork--with notarized Russian translations (!) of documents such as transcripts, birth certificates, health certificates, etc.--by February 5.

Taiwan: Taiwan Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES) to study Mandarin HES Scholarship

The Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES) is a scholarship administered through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The program aims to encourage international students to take Huayu, or Chinese language courses, in Taiwan. The scholarship doesn’t include airfare, but it awards students monthly stipends of 25,000 NTD, or about $800.00, which may be used towards any approved language program in Taiwan. The program offers summer study, as well as support for 3, 6, 9, and 12 month courses. Applications are typically due at the end of March.

United Kingdom: US-UK Fulbright Summer Institutes US-UK Fulbright Website

The US-UK Fulbright Commission offers summer institutes for exceptional US undergraduates (over 18 years of age with at least TWO years of undergraduate study left to complete) to come to the UK on a three, four, five, or six week academic and cultural summer program. Participants selected will delve into the history, heritage, and culture of the UK as well expand their academic ability through improving presentation, research, and communication skills. Nine summer institutes, each of which has a different focus, are available. This extremely competitive grant covers round trip airfare from USA to UK, tuition at the host university/institute, accommodations and meals, and in some cases a small allowance. Applications are due February 27th or March 6th (depending on the program applied for). After carefully reviewing the website, students with outstanding academic records who are interested in applying for this scholarship should contact Rowan's Fulbright Program Advisor, Dr. Christina Solomon, solomonca@rowan.edu.

International Internships through Rowan Study Abroad Office:

Apply for the fully (or mostly) funded scholarships, summer programs, and internships listed above, but if it doesn't work out, Rowan students interested in a summer internship might consider:

• An internship through World Endeavors, a Rowan "approved partner organization" that offers internships in a variety of countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, including India and Australia, in the summer as well as during the academic year. Students may be able to use scholarships such as the Gilman or Freeman Asia (for an internship in Asia) towards these programs.