Financing Your Experience

Studying abroad does not have to break the bank! The Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad works to provide affordable programs to Clemson University students. Please review the How to Apply page as well as our program brochure pages for detailed information on costs and financing your experience.

Financial Aid

If you receive financial aid at Clemson University, this aid may be able to assist in covering the costs related to a study abroad experience. Students need to discuss their specific financial aid package with the Financial Aid office. Important items to be aware of as you plan your experience:

  • Aid disbursement - Financial aid is disbursed based on your program start date. Therefore, for some programs, payments or deferments may need to be arranged until your financial aid has been released. 
  • Summer financial aid - if you are hoping to use your aid for a summer program, please check with your financial aid advisor to determine if you have used your full financial aid allocation during the regular school year, this may mean that there is no aid remaining to assist with summer tuition payments. 
  • Delinquent payments - Departments within the University have the option to transfer delinquent, uncollected accounts to Student Financial Services to be placed on your iROAR account, these payments would be covered by our financial aid upon disbursement, so please ensure you are planning ahead

Developing a Budget

In addition to researching program options, and finding the right academic fit for you time abroad, it is important to plan ahead financially for your study abroad program.

Scholarships

Some additional scholarships are available specifically for study abroad students. Below is a curated list of scholarships to research as you plan your study abroad. Along with applying to scholarships, students should speak with The Clemson Financial Aid office to determine how their specific financial aid package may be applicable to their study abroad program and begin thinking about a personal budget.

As you review the below suggested scholarships, keep in mind that application deadlines are typically six or more months before program start dates. Therefore beginning the application process as early as possible is important. Be sure to check the individual websites for deadlines. The below is not a complete list of scholarships available for study abroad.

  • Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad Scholarships

    Pamela Maddex Hendrix Family Scholarship

    First-year, undergraduate students from the state of South Carolina with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply for this scholarship. This planning scholarship is designed to support award recipients through the planning process of selecting a study abroad program starting in the Fall term of their sophomore year. Awards will be made on the basis of academic merit, financial need, and quality of essay. The application opens in January each year, typically with a deadline in late February. Learn more about the scholarship here. 

    Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad Scholarship

    Students studying abroad during Summer 2022 are eligible to apply for scholarship funding through the Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad. Eligible recipients must be participating in a Clemson University approved study abroad program. Depending on number, quality, and need of applicants, it is anticipated that award amounts will range between $100 and $1000 each. Award amounts may be dependant on duration of program. Complete the Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad Scholarship here. 

    Office of Global Engagement Partner Scholarship

    Students who study abroad during spring, summer, or fall are eligible to apply for scholarship funding through The Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad and our partnerships with third-party providers. Students participating in programs through TEAN (Education Abroad Network), Lorenzo de Medici, University of Nicosia, and USAC can compete for funding through this application. Depending on number, quality, and need of applicants, award amounts will range between $100 to $1,000 each. Complete the OGE Partner Scholarship online application here. The application deadline is typically the beginning of November for spring semester and end of March for summer and fall semesters. (Currently not accepting applications)

    Killam Fellowships Program

    The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for undergraduate students from universities in the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in Canada. Scholarship recipients receive $5,000/semester, and students can apply to any of the participating Canadian Universities. Please turn in application materials to the Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad. For information about applying to the Killam Fellowships Program, contact abroad@clemson.edu, or your study abroad coordinator. The internal deadline for this scholarship is in January preceding the academic year the student wants to be abroad. 

       

  • College and Department Specific Scholarships

    Michelin Annual Scholarship for International Programs

    The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences invites applications for the Michelin Annual Scholarships for Global Engagement. Applicants must be enrolled in degree programs of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences and have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Applicants must have completed at least two full-time semesters at Clemson at the time of application and be at least two semesters from graduation with a bachelor’s degree. Prospective Michelin Scholars must also have second language proficiency or be taking courses towards developing such proficiency. Visit the scholarship website for more detailed information.

    Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business Travel Aid

    The Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business offers funding opportunities to assist with the expenses of an international experience with a Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business-sponsored program. These funding opportunities are only available for business majors: Accounting, Economics, Financial Management, Graphic Communications, Management, Marketing, and Pre-Business. Visit the Office of Career and Global Engagement website for more information about these funding opportunities.

    The Clemson Honors College

    The Clemson Honors College offers a variety of funding opportunities for assistance with student research and travel. Students must be in good standing with the Honors College and have a GPA of at least 3.5. Visit the Honors College website for additional information and a description of each opportunity.


     

  • Major National Study Abroad Scholarships

    Students interested in any Major Fellowship, Scholarship, or Placement should schedule an appointment with the Office of Major Fellowships before the Clemson deadline.

    Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

    2022 CLEMSON ABROAD UPDATE: Gilman Scholarship Overview

    The Benjamin A. Gilman International 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. The program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go by supporting undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints. Students who apply for and receive the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad are eligible to receive an additional $3,000 Critical Need Language Supplement for a total possible award of up to $8,000. There are two application cycles each typically due in early March and early October.

    Fulbright Scholarships and Fellowships

    The Fulbright Program was established by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 and has grown to become the largest U.S. exchange program operating in over 140 countries. It provides grants for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advance research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study. 

    Boren Scholarships and Fellowships

    The Institute of International Education awards Boren Scholarships for undergraduate students and Boren Fellowships for graduate students. Boren Awards provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. students to add important international and language components to their education. These scholarships are to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. Boren Scholarships (for undergraduates) provide up to $20,000 for an academic year abroad. Boren Fellowships (for graduate students) provide up to $30,000 for language study and international research. The Boren Scholarship and Fellowship internal deadline is generally late January of the year preceding the abroad experience. Students must submit application materials and essays to Robyn Curtis in the Office of Major Fellowships for university approval before this deadline.

    Critical Language Scholarship Program

    The United States Department of State offers the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program for overseas intensive summer language institutes in thirteen critical need foreign languages. CLS institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students. Students may apply for one language, and will be placed at institute sites based on language evaluations after selection. Students in all disciplines are eligible.

    Fund for Education Abroad (FEA)

    The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students who are participating in high-quality, rigorous education abroad programs. Students must plan to study abroad for at least four weeks. Up to $10,000 in scholarship funding is available.

    Gilman-McCain Scholarship

    The Gilman-McCain Scholarship is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and named after the late senator John S. McCain from Arizona.

    The Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs. The scholarship is open to eligible students enrolled at accredited U.S. colleges and universities who receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid.

    Rhodes Scholarships

    Rhodes Scholars study for two or three years at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Study can be in any field and at the undergraduate or graduate level and must lead to a degree. Some Rhodes Scholars study the last two years of an undergraduate major while others do graduate study abroad. The Rhodes scholarship pays for tuition, fees, travel to and from Oxford, and an allowance that is sufficient to pay living costs during the academic year and vacation periods.  

      

  • Other Scholarship Opportunities

    Ashley’s Foundation Scholarship

    Ashley’s Foundation first began in 2006, as a way of honoring the life of Ashley Soulé Conroy and as a way for Ashley’s family and friends to heal in the wake of her passing. With a love of travel being one of Ashley’s core traits, they envisioned a small foundation, something that could perhaps someday offer scholarships in Ashley’s name to a few deserving university students planning to study abroad. They envisioned a way of helping these students realize their dream of studying in the far-flung corners of the globe that Ashley so dreamed of visiting herself someday. What her family didn't envision was that this foundation with such humble roots would evolve into what it is today — an organization with thousands of donors and dozens of scholarship recipients from all over the U.S. To date, the foundation has awarded 32 Ashley Soulé Conroy Scholarships for Study Abroad to students who have studied all over the world.

    Bridging Scholarships for Study in Japan

    The Bridging Project offers scholarships to assist American undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs with travel and living expenses they will incur while studying abroad in Japan for either a semester or an academic year. Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Japanese language study is not a prerequisite. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must be enrolled as undergraduates in a college or university in the United States before and during the time they are studying abroad. Their study in Japan must earn credit that will transfer to their home campus in the US. Bridging Scholarship recipients receive a stipend of $2,500 (for students on semester-long programs) or $4,000 (for students on academic year programs). Students studying in Japan on summer programs are not eligible to apply.

    DAAD Scholarship Programs for Study and Research in Germany

    DAAD grants are available to faculty and students in Canada and the United States to participate in various academic activities. In general, applicants need to be U.S. or Canadian citizens or permanent residents. In certain cases, foreign nationals enrolled or employed at universities in North America may also be eligible to apply. 

    MEXT Japanese Studies Student Scholarship

    This scholarship is for students studying Japanese language and culture and seeking to spend a year at a Japanese university. The scholarship pays full expense for one year of study. Japanese language skills sufficient for college-level classes are required. Applicants must be residents of Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia. 

    Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grants

    The Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi offers 50 Study Abroad Grants of $1,000 each to help support undergraduates as they seek knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying abroad. Students do not have to be members of Phi Kappa Phi to apply for this scholarship. Applicants must have a GPA of at least a 3.75.  

    Turkish Coalition of America

    The Turkish Coalition of America awards up to 100 scholarships per year for American minority students. These scholarships are awarded to eligible undergraduate and graduate level students who are studying in Turkey or in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). This scholarship program is administered by Diversity Abroad, an independent organization dedicated to increasing the participation of minority students in study abroad programs.

    Freeman-Asia

    The Freeman-ASIA program is designed to support U.S.-based undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. The program’s goal is to increase the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures.

    British Council — Scholarships for study in the UK

    The British Council provides a list of scholarships available to U.S. citizens for study at universities in the UK. This list includes both graduate and undergraduate scholarships. The deadline for this scholarship varies. 

      

  • Additional Databases for Study Abroad Scholarship Opportunities

    DiversityAbroad.com Scholarship Directory

    This scholarship directory contains funding opportunities for multicultural students, community college students, and university students, as well as high school students. Students can save scholarships they are interested in, ask for reminders by email two weeks prior to deadlines, and forward scholarships to friends.

    AllAbroad Study Abroad Scholarships

    Lists study abroad scholarship opportunities in three categories - general study abroad scholarships, diversity in study abroad scholarships, and non-traditional countries study abroad scholarships.

    GoAbroad.com Study Abroad Scholarships

    A scholarship search engine that lets you search for scholarships based on location, academic level, and field of study.

    IIEPassport: Study Abroad Funding

    This resource allows you to search by country or subject to find study abroad funding information. Includes scholarships, fellowships, and grants for undergraduate as well as graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral research. 

    International Education Financial Aid (IEFA) Scholarships

    A comprehensive list of study abroad scholarships for students.

    Study Portals- Scholarship Database

    Browse comprehensive scholarship lists available for a wide variety of destinations abroad. Start your scholarship search by choosing a study location and selecting one of over 1000 opportunities for student financial aid available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, France, Spain, the Netherlands, China, the United States, Australia, and many others