Study Abroad Scholarships

The Piper & Cranshaw Scholarships

The Cranshaw Scholarship is funded by the Cranshaw Corporation and awards $20,000 toward the cost of a full year of university study in the United Kingdom. This scholarship was established by Mr. Robert MacDonald of London, who is the father-in-law of Dan Harris, Class of 1970, Westminster College.

The Vernon W. Piper Scholarship was established at the Westminster Churchill Library by Vernon W. and Marian K. Piper of St. Louis. Mr. Piper was a Fellow of the Memorial and served on its Board of Governors. Piper awards facilitate study for one or two semesters at European institutions of higher education, with individual awards of $5,000 or more in a typical year.

Applications for both scholarship competitions are available in the late fall and are due the following January. Complete applications include: signed application forms, resume, essay, unofficial transcript, letters of reference, statement of program cost (Piper only), and Dean of Student Life certification.

Cranshaw and Piper Scholarships are awarded by a selection committee of Westminster faculty and staff members under the auspices of the Office of Global Educational Services. Candidates for the Cranshaw and Piper Scholarships must be sophomores when they apply and hold a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale.

External Scholarships

Scholarships for study abroad are widely available from a variety of sources. This is not a comprehensive list but rather a starting point with the prominent scholarships and search tools.

• Merit-based: These awards are based on a student's academic, artistic, athletic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant's extracurricular activities and community service record. It's important to note that qualifications will vary based on the particular scholarship.
• Student-specific: These are scholarships for applicants who initially qualify based on factors such as gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors. Minority scholarships are the most common awards in this category, but qualifications will vary based on the particular scholarship.
• Destination-specific: These are scholarships awarded by a country to students planning to pursue a study abroad program in that particular country. They are awarded as an incentive to study in that country instead of elsewhere. Check with government-sponsored travel websites of the country where you wish to study to see what scholarships are available.
• Program-specific: Program-specific scholarships are offered by individual study abroad programs and/or the colleges and universities where they may be associated to qualified applicants. These scholarships are often given on the basis of academic and personal achievement, but qualifications will vary based on the particular scholarship. Check with your study abroad program and university to see what scholarships are available.
• Subject-specific: Subject-specific scholarships are awarded by study abroad programs or institutions to students based on their particular major or field of study. These scholarships may require the recipients to enroll in subject-specific courses while abroad or conduct subject-specific research while abroad, but it's important to note that qualifications will vary based on each scholarship.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship: This scholarship provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide. https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/

Boren Awards: Scholarships and Fellowships focusing on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. https://www.borenawards.org/

Critical Language Scholarship: a summer study abroad opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. https://clscholarship.org/

Japan Bridging Scholarships: offers scholarships to American undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan. https://www.aatj.org/studyabroad/japan-bridging-scholarships

The Freeman-ASIA Program: supports U.S.-based undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. https://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia

Fund for Education Abroad: provides scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population. https://fundforeducationabroad.org/scholarships/

USA Study Abroad: Department of State program that helps students discover study abroad opportunities offered by the U.S. government as well programs offered by foreign governments around the world. https://studyabroad.state.gov/us-government-scholarships-and-programs/us-college-and-university-students

Cultural Vistas Fellowship: A fully-funded fellowship program affording underrepresented U.S. university students the opportunity to intern for eight weeks with organizations in Argentina, Germany, or Southeast Asia. https://culturalvistas.org/programs/abroad/cultural-vistas-fellowship/

Institute for International Education: A global not-for-profit and the first private organization facilitating international exchanges. IIE manages more than 200 programs and offers various funding for studying abroad, internships, professional development, and more.   https://www.iie.org/scholarships-programs/

StudyAbroad.com: Try this search engine to find study abroad financing by region/country, subject, and program type. https://www.studyabroad.com/study-abroad-scholarships  

IES Abroad Funding: IES Abroad’s financial aid is designed to take the guessing out of study abroad financial aid and make it more equitable for all. With IES Abroad’s financial aid, you can:

• Apply for all IES Abroad financial aid with one single application and you will know your total IES Abroad aid amount within five days of applying;
• Receive up to $7,000 in scholarships and aid for an IES Abroad semester program and up to $3,000 for a summer program.
• You can apply for IES Abroad aid even before you’ve applied for one of their programs on the IES Abroad website here: Study Abroad Scholarships & Aid: What You Need to Know | IES Abroad

Scholarship Recipients