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Learning Abroad

Contact Learning Abroad

Teaching Unit 2, Suite 114
4104 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Houston, TX 77204-2039

learningabroad@uh.edu
(713) 743-9167

Passport Acceptance Facility:
8:30am - 1:00pm only
(713) 743-4687

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External Scholarships

University of Houston students are eligible to apply for the external scholarships listed below. Please note that this is not an all-inclusive list of scholarships. You may be eligible for other scholarships you find outside of this list.

Table of Contents:

National Scholarships

Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program

Applications are now OPEN!

  • Students receiving federal Pell Grant funding during the academic term and are a U.S. citizen are eligible to apply
  • Program must be for Winter 2025-2026, Spring 2026, Summer 2026, Fall 2026, or Academic Year 2026-2027
  • Must be applying to or accepted into a program in a U.S. Department of State Level 1 or 2 location. Click here for more information about Gilman’s Travel Advisory Policy
  • Deadline:
    • October 9, 2025 at 11:59 pm Pacific time. 
  • Amount: Up to $5,000 for semester or academic-year programs
    • Can be combined with:
      • the STEM Supplemental Award for an additional $1,000
      • the Gilman Critical Need Language Supplement for an additional $3,000
        • Arabic (all dialects) Chinese (all dialects) Bahasa Indonesia Japanese Turkic (Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgz, Turkish, Uzbek) Persian (Farsi, Dari, Kurdish, Pashto, Tajik) Indic (Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Sinhala, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Sindhi) Korean Russian Swahili

Fund for Education Abroad

  • Applications for Summer 2025, Fall 2025 & Academic Year 2025-2026 are now closed.
  • Applications for Spring 2026 will open this Summer 2025.
  • Awards up to $5,000
  • Undergraduate students only
  • Must be U.S. Citizen, permanent resident, or DACA recipient
  • Program must be eligible for credit at the student’s home institution

Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) Scholarships

  • The University of Houston is a HACU-member instititution
  • Students are eligible to apply to any HACU Scholarships. These scholarships are not specific to studying abroad but can still be used towards your study abroad program.

Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grants

  • Applications are open to students participating in a Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Academic Year 2025-2026 or Spring 2026 program can apply.
  • 75- $1000 grants awarded each year
  • Eligibility requirements:
    • Undergraduate student with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher. This cannot be rounded up, so GPAs of 3.74 or below will not be considered
    • Must have applied to or have been accepted into an accredited study abroad program before the session deadline
    • You are not a sitting Phi Kappa Phi board member, divisional vice president, member of the Study Abroad Award committee or Society employee
  • Deadline: March 15, 2025

The Going Abroad Scholarship

  • Currently open for Summer & Fall 2025 programs
  • $1,500 Scholarship
  • Eligibility Requirements:
    • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
    • Be a currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student who will be studying abroad
  • Deadline: March 15, 2025

Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship

  • Currently open for Fall 2025 programs
  • $1000 & a travel backpack awarded
  • Eligibility requirements:
    • Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or currently studying in the US on a student visa
    • Full-time undergraduate student in good standing
    • Must be applying or accepted into a program eligible for credit
  • Deadline: April 15, 2025

Other Nationally Competitive Scholarships

For information on the Fulbright and other scholarships and fellowships for programs abroad, please visit the Nationally Competitive Opportunities website with the Office of Undergraduate Research.

First Generation Scholarships

USAC Global Opportunities for First Generation UH Students

USAC will be awarding four $2,000 scholarships to UH students that identify as first generation college students and who participate in a USAC Summer 2025 program.

  • Eligibility requirements:
    • Undergraduate student with a minimum 2.5 GPA, and be in good academic standing
    • Must identify as a first generation college student (neither parent has a 4-year college degree)
    • Be applying to or accepted into a Summer 2025 affiliated program with USAC
  • Application: Apply Here
    • Students must submit their application along with two short essays (500 word max each) through the CoogsAbroad portal by the deadline.
    • Essay prompts:
      • a.) Tell us about your academic, career, or personal goals while you're in college. What impact do you think a study abroad program will have on those goals?
      • b.) Why do you think it is important to learn abroad as a First-Generation College Student? What do you hope to gain from your learning abroad experience?
  • Deadline: February 21, 2025 at 11:59pm CST

CEA/CAPA Global Opportunities for First Generation UH Students

CEA/CAPA will be awarding seven scholarships to UH first-generation students who study for a semester with CEA/CAPA in Barcelona, London, or Prague for Spring and Fall 2025 admission.

  • UH Students who are selected for this scholarship will have the option to choose between a $750 additional discount to their program price or a flight voucher worth up to $1,000.
  • Application: email our CEA/CAPA partner Derek Shepard for application information.
  • Deadline: Rolling Admission

Affiliated Program Provider Scholarships

All of our Affiliated Program Providers administer and award their own scholarships to students participating on their programs. If you are a student participating on an Affilitated Provider's program, we suggest applying to their scholarships as well.

Diversity Scholarships

Diverse International Women of Color (DIWC) Scholarship

  • Available to women of color who are currently enrolled as undergraduates in the United States
  • Must have GPA of 2.7 or higher
  • Must be accepted to an In-Person Summer or Fall 2025 study abroad program (international internship is included)
  • Applications for Summer 2025 will open March 1, 2025
    • Summer Deadline: April 14, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
  • Applications for Fall 2025 will open June 3, 2025
    • Fall Deadline: July 14, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
  • Amount: $500 scholarships

Rainbow Scholarship

  • Apply through the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) Scholarship
  • Available to undergratuate students who self-identify as LGBTQIA+
  • Must be a U.S. citizens or permanent residents
  • Program must be at least 4 weeks long and student must earn UH credit
  • Deadline: February 5, 2025 at 11am CST for Summer 2025, Fall 2025 & Academic Year 2025-2026 programs
  • Amount: up to $5,000

Country Specific Scholarships

Please note that several of the scholarships listed below are for specific programs.

Asia

  • Freeman-Asia Scholarship - *Please speak with your Learning Abroad Advisor before applying. For undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need and wish to study in East or Southeast Asia.

China

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

Norway

United Kingdom

Additional Scholarships

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program

  • Offered by the U.S. Department of State.
  • Must be enrolled in an Undergraduate or Graduate/Doctoral program at an accredited US university and must have completed at least one year (two semesters) of an undergraduate program
  • Available languages:
    • Azerbaijani, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Punjabi, Turkish, Portuguese, & Urdu
      • Beginning to advanced levels
    • Arabic, Korean, & Russian
      • Advanced beginning to advanced levels
    • Chinese & Japanese
      • Intermediate & Advanced levels
  • Contact: CLS Program Contact Page

David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships (NSEP)

  • U.S. citizens at the time of the national application deadline
  • A high school graduate, or have earned a GED
  • At least 18 years of age or older at the time of the national application deadline
  • Program in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
  • Planning to study in a country of which they are not a citizen
  • Matriculated for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program in an undergraduate program located within the United States and accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
  • Minimum one year federal service required. For more information about this requirement, click here .
  • National Deadline: 2025 Boren Scholarships application is open now and due on Janurary 29, 2025
  • UH Campus Deadline: Two weeks prior to national deadline
  • Contact: David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarships Contact Page .
  • Amount:
    • 8-11 weeks: $8,000 for a summer program (STEM majors only)
    • 12-24 weeks: $12,500
    • 25-52 weeks: $25,000

Korean Intensive Summer Language Program

  • Open to all U.S. undergraduate and graduate students
  • Participants must have taken at least two semesters of university-level Korean or the equivalent before the program begins in June.
  • Minimum GPA of 2.7
  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the application deadline
  • KISLP applicants are encouraged to apply for the Judith Ehm Foundation Fellowship, which provides recipients with a minimum award of $5,000.
  • Program Dates:
    • Summer 2025: June 23 - August 15, 2025
  • Deadline:
    • Summer 2025: February 15, 2025
    • Fall 2025: March 15, 2025

Institute of International Education

  • Gateway to various scholarships based on merit, need, and major.

MoneyGeek.com

  • Various scholarships based on merit, applicant demographic information, destination, affiliated program, and/or subject of study.

StudyAbroad.com

  • Various scholarships based on merit, applicant demographic information, destination, affiliated program, and/or subject of study.