LAS International Programs provides LAS Global Engagement scholarships for LAS students studying abroad on an Illinois-approved program.
Application deadlines and notification
- The deadline to apply is September 15th for winter break, spring break and spring semester programs. Applicants will be notified by September 22nd.
- The deadline to apply is February 15th for summer, and fall or academic year programs. Applications will be notified by February 22nd.
Note: When applying, please choose the application term that corresponds with the term in which you plan to study abroad.
Student eligibility
- At the time of application, you must be an undergraduate enrolled in the College of LAS. This includes undeclared students in LAS and DGS who intend to declare a major within LAS. Dual degree students enrolled in LAS the semester they study abroad are eligible to apply. Students who only have a minor in the College of LAS are not eligible to apply.
Scholarship amounts
Scholarship amounts range from $1,000 to $5,000. Awards are determined based on the cost and length of the study abroad program and the availability of funds.
Scholarship application components
- Two short essay question responses
- Student and program information
Selection
Applications are reviewed by an LAS scholarship committee comprised of three professional staff members. Applications are reviewed separately for short-term and semester-based programs.
Preference will be given to applicants who meet the following criteria:
- will study abroad outside of the European Union, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
- will study abroad for a full academic year
- belong to groups that are historically and currently underrepresented in study abroad. For data on representation in study abroad see: https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad
Scholarship disbursement
LAS will apply scholarships to student accounts as follows:
- Winter break and fall semester awards: Mid-November
- Spring break and spring semester awards: Mid-February
- Summer break: Mid-May
Scholarship award requirements
Students must complete the below requirements to remain in good standing and keep their LAS scholarship.
PRE-DEPARTURE
- Attend all required pre-departure course meetings, workshops, and orientation sessions. For semester and academic year students, fulfill all LAS 291 requirements.
WHILE ABROAD
- Maintain full-time study
- Bring back equivalent full-time credit hours
- Semester and academic year students must complete all required LAS 292 requirements
UPON RETURNING TO ILLINOIS
Complete the final scholarship project. Details are below.
Final Scholarship Project Requirements
Create a Study Abroad Profile for LAS IP to share on our website: This will be a Word document, please do
not submit a PDF.
The profile must include the following information:
- Your name, major field of study
- Your study abroad program/host university, city, and country
- Language level for the host country? Other languages spoken?
- Two or three photos from your time abroad, featuring the host university, classrooms/labs, living quarters, host family (if applicable), field experience, and program excursions. (We will not use photos of people who have not provided consent )
The profile must include responses to one (1) question in each category below:
What you experienced Abroad
- Describe your most humbling moment during your education abroad experience.
- Describe a moment where something was lost in translation or a miscommunication.
- Describe your favorite local activity or habit.
- What is something that you did while studying abroad that you’d not have thought you’d ever do before?
What you learned Abroad
- What did you learn about the USA and the perception of the USA elsewhere?
- Describe an aha (I get it now) moment.
- Describe a moment that revealed to you a stereotype you held.
- Describe something that you unlearned– something you thought you knew but realized was untrue or more complicated.
- What is something that you didn’t realize you didn’t know until you were confronted with not knowing it?
- What are you thinking about and doing, now?
- Is there anything you have done more of or less of since you arrived home?
- What’s one thing you brought back (we’re not talking about souvenirs; rather, changed habits, mindsets, and new activities)?
- Describe something you left behind (an attitude, a behavior, a belief, etc.)
- What was an ethical contention you encountered during your semester? How did you handle it 'in the moment' and what influenced your decision-making, and ultimately, your actions thereafter?
The completed profile will also include:
- Your original application essay responses to the application essays
- And, also, your return essay reflections to the exact same set of questions. This means you will include two responses to each essay question; your initial answers (the before replies) and the follow-up responses (the after replies).
FINAL PROJECT DEADLINES
- Spring semester or spring break: May 30*
- Summer: Aug. 30*
- Fall semester or winter break: Jan. 30*
*LAS IP office is aware that some semester-length and all-year programs do not conform to these dates and will work with students on a case-by-case basis where appropriate
Upload your final projects to your scholarship application in your My Study Abroad Application Portal by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline. In order to do this, please navigate to the 'Questionnaires' Section and scroll down to the 'Returnee' phase, where you will click on the pencil icon to Submit to the 'Final Scholarship Project'. Within this tab you will find the fields to upload your final project document. Thanks!
