Applying for scholarships is a great way to help cover the costs of studying abroad, and many study abroad participants apply for and receive scholarship funding. The likelihood of being successful in applying for scholarships depends a great deal on your approach to this process. Here are some ideas to keep in mind that will help you be successful!

Apply early: Many scholarship deadlines are 6-9 months prior to the start date of your program, so it’s important to apply early to make sure you have as many scholarship options as possible. Think about your audience: Each scholarship granting agency has a mission that affects what they are looking for in a scholarship applicant. Some of the criteria that organizations consider are:

• Diversity of Applicant
• Academic Progress & Performance
• Fields of Study
• Country of Destination
• U.S. Institution & State Distribution
• Length of Study Abroad

Adapt your personal statement: It may sound like a lot of work to apply for scholarships, but the most important thing you can do is to write a strong personal statement. Once you’ve created your statement, you can adapt it to fit the focus and emphasis of different scholarship agencies that you apply to. This means you really only have to create one strong application and then use it as a template when you apply to others.

Make your personal statement stand out: When you create your personal statement, remember that it is the most important part of your scholarship application, and your best opportunity to represent yourself. Be sure to do the following when you put yours together:

• Be concrete! Clearly state your goals for study abroad, the relevance of your study abroad program to your academic, career and personal goals and your reasons for picking this particular program or country. The more concrete you are about this, the more clearly the application reviewers can understand why they should invest in your study abroad experience.
• Research the scholarship organization so you know what their mission is and what they are looking for in a scholarship applicant.
• Make it relevant! Be sure to make your personal statement relevant to the goals of the scholarship organization!
• Follow-up: Check in with the scholarship agency to make sure they have received your materials and check in again at the time that you know they are awarding scholarships. Sometimes checking in can bring your application to the top of the pile!
• Tell the truth: Make your statement as strong and positive as possible, and make sure it’s all true!

Use the EAC website tools: In the Finances section of the EAC website at http://eac.ucdavis.edu/eac/scholarships.cfm, you will find, a list of scholarships specifically targeting students studying abroad and a list of the EAC’s Top 10 Scholarships for study abroad. The scholarship list indicates application deadlines and the countries for which the scholarships are applicable. Use these tools to simplify the task!