Abroad Awards
For these awards, the Scholarship Opportunities Program seeks undergraduates with the ambition to become intellectual leaders in specific academic or artistic fields, or practical leaders in government, nonprofit, or international business contexts.
Applicants should have at least two, and hopefully all three, of the following desirable qualifications:
1. Academic Excellence
Potential applicants should have demonstrated the potential to achieve the highest levels of academic merit and accomplishment, including sustained participation in original research or creative projects. The formation of close relationships with faculty mentors is also essential to building a competitive profile toward these awards.
2. Record of Service and Leadership
Potential applicants should have demonstrated the capacity and vision for original public or community service and organizational leadership achievements. Practical leadership may take many different forms, such as:
- Founding roles in new organizations or entrepreneurial ventures;
- Rising, within an existing organization, from the entry level of member or volunteer to a position of significant responsibility and influence;
- Sustained participation and dedication to achievement of increasingly challenging objectives related to a particular project or cause;
- Significant, progressively-responsible work or internship experience.
You must be able to articulate how you made a unique and measurable impact, separate from other members of the project or organization and others who have held the same or similar roles. The formation of close relationships with supervisors and mentors is essential to building a competitive profile toward these awards.
3. Cross-Cultural Engagement Skills.
Potential applicants are able to describe their participation in coursework and/or extracurricular activities that develop intercultural fluency, including but not limited to:
- Foreign or second language learning
- Study abroad program participation
- Peer mentoring or conversation partner experience
- Membership and volunteer service (and preferably, leadership roles) in cross-cultural campus or off-campus organizations.
Please note: External scholarship agencies will consider all of your credit-bearing coursework from any college or institution as part of the review process (including CSU, community colleges, private colleges or other UC campuses/Extension programs, and including units earned while in high school or studying abroad). For eligibility purposes, grades from other colleges will be included in calculation of your cumulative (overall) undergraduate GPA.
Application Procedures
Pre-Application Opens: Early Oct. 2022 | Due by: October 24, 2022 at 12:00 Noon
- Self-enroll and complete SOP-PREP.
- At the completion of SOP-PREP, you will meet with a Student Advisor and receive links to appropriate Pre-Application forms based on your academic interests and goals.
- If your Pre-Application is deemed eligible for personalized advising, you will be assigned an SOP primary advisor, under whose guidance you will work on your application materials for 3 months.
Killam Fellowship (Canada)
The Killam Fellowships Program provides funding for exceptional undergraduate students to study in Canada for either one term ($5,000) or a full academic year ($10,000). The goal of the program is to increase mutual understanding between Canada and the United States of America. The fellowship includes a number of enrichment opportunities covered by the Killam Mobility Program, including the Fall Orientation, a Cultural Awareness Grant, and the Spring Seminar.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
Application Procedures
Pre-Application Opens: Mid. February 2022 | Due by: April 11, 2022 at 12:00 Noon
- Self-enroll and complete SOP-PREP.
- At the completion of SOP-PREP, you will meet with a Student Advisor and receive links to appropriate Pre-Application forms based on your academic interests and goals.
- If your Pre-Application is deemed eligible for personalized advising (and endorsement/nomination services if required), you will be assigned an SOP primary advisor, under whose guidance you will work on your application materials for 3 months.
Fulbright US Student Study/Research Program (140+ host countries)*
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for recent graduates and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
Churchill Scholarship (Cambridge University, United Kingdom)*
The Churchill Scholarship provides funding to 15 American students for a year of Master’s study in science, mathematics and engineering at the University of Cambridge, based at Churchill College. The program was set up at the request of Sir Winston Churchill in order to fulfil his vision of US–UK scientific exchange with the goal of advancing science and technology on both sides of the Atlantic, helping to ensure our future prosperity and security.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
Gates Cambridge Scholarship (Cambridge University, United Kingdom)
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established in October 2000 by a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. The Gates Cambridge mission is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. It aims to achieve this mission by selecting outstanding scholars, providing them with financial and non-financial support at one of the world’s leading universities and facilitating community building at and beyond Cambridge.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
British Marshall Scholarship (United Kingdom)*
Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to fifty Scholars are selected each year to study at the graduate level at a UK institution in any field of study.
As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments, and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent, and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programmes contributes to their ultimate personal success.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
George Mitchell Scholarship (Ireland)*
The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program is a nationally competitive award for U.S. citizens sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. Named in honor of the former U.S. Senator’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, the Mitchell Scholarship is designed to introduce and connect future American leaders to the island of Ireland, while recognizing and fostering academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to public service.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
Rhodes Scholarship (Oxford University, United Kingdom)*
The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest (first awarded in 1902) and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship programme, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
Schwarzman Scholarship (Tsingua University, China)
Designed to prepare young leaders to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century. Whether in politics, business, or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends.
Click here for detailed information regarding eligibility, fields of study, and more!
* = Requires UCI endorsement (nomination) & campus screening process; deadlines must be met in order to qualify.
Questions about the campus advising and endorsement (nomination) process may be directed to the Scholarship Opportunities Program at scholars@uci.edu or 949-824-0189.