Study abroad scholarships for American students: the official guide for 2027

For American students, the price of a semester abroad can look like a closed door. Flights, housing and program fees add up quickly, and many students assume study abroad is for people who can pay for it themselves.

It does not have to be. The US government and several foundations fund students to study, research, learn languages and teach abroad. We checked the official pages of the main programs on October 31, 2026, including which ones are open now, which have changed, and which have paused.

Open now or opening soon

Program	Who	Next deadline
Critical Language Scholarship	US students in a degree program	17 November 2026, 8 PM Eastern
Austria Teaching Assistantship	US graduates with German at B1	Opens 15 November 2026, closes 15 January 2027
Boren Fellowships	US graduate students	20 January 2027
Boren Scholarships	US undergraduates	27 January 2027
Fund for Education Abroad	US undergraduates with financial need	Summer/Fall 2027 round expected to open in December 2026

For undergraduates studying abroad

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Awards of up to $5,000 for US citizens or nationals who receive a Federal Pell Grant, to study or intern abroad for credit. There is an extra award for students learning a critical need language. The Fall 2026 cycle closed on 1 October 2026; check the Gilman site for the next deadline.

Boren Scholarships. Up to $25,000 for 25 to 52 weeks abroad, $12,500 for 12 to 24 weeks, or $8,000 for 8 to 11 weeks (STEM majors only), for undergraduates studying languages in regions critical to US interests. Recipients take on a one-year federal service requirement. The 2027 deadline is 27 January 2027, but your campus may set an earlier internal date.

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). A fully funded eight-week summer program in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian or Swahili. It covers travel, visa fees, room and board, and materials. Students at associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral level can apply by 17 November 2026.

Freeman-ASIA. Need-based awards of up to $5,000 for study in East or Southeast Asia, open to US citizens and permanent residents. You apply in the term before your program starts.

Fund for Education Abroad. Scholarships for undergraduates with financial need, open to US citizens, permanent residents and DACA recipients. The Summer/Fall 2027 application is expected to open in December 2026.

For graduate study abroad

Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Grants for a year of study, research or teaching abroad, run by the US Department of State. The 2027 to 2028 competition closed on 6 October 2026, and the next cycle is due to launch in spring 2027.

Boren Fellowships. Up to $25,000 for graduate students studying languages in critical regions. Deadline 20 January 2027.

Marshall Scholarship. Up to 50 awards a year for one or two years of graduate study in the UK, covering fees, living costs and airfare. Applicants need a GPA of at least 3.7 and their US college’s endorsement. The 2027 round is closed.

Gates Cambridge. Full-cost scholarships at the University of Cambridge. US citizens living in the US apply in a separate October round, which closed on 14 October 2026. US citizens living abroad can use the later round, which closes on 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on the course.

Schwarzman Scholars. A fully funded one-year master’s at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Applicants must be under 29 on 1 August of the enrollment year. For the class starting in 2028, applications run from April to September 2027.

Rhodes Scholarship and Knight-Hennessy Scholars are also open to Americans. See their listings for rules.

A year abroad after graduation

Luce Scholars Program. A year of professional placement in Asia for US citizens or permanent residents under 33. Applicants now apply directly, rather than through college nomination. The portal opens each April.

Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. A $40,000 stipend for a year of independent exploration outside the US, plus health insurance and 12 months of student loan payments. You must be a graduating senior nominated by one of 39 partner colleges.

Teach abroad

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant awards. Teaching assistant posts in 78 countries. You may apply to one country only. The next cycle launches in spring 2027.

Fulbright Taiwan ETA. An 11-month grant with a monthly stipend of NT$43,000 to 53,000, a settling-in allowance, round-trip airfare and health insurance. No Chinese is required.

Austria Teaching Assistantship. Paid posts in Austrian schools from October 2027 to May 2028, at about 2,012 euros gross a month. You need German at B1 or higher.

Hong Kong NET Scheme. Paid two-year teaching contracts in Hong Kong public schools for native or native-level English speakers.

Peace Corps. Two years and three months of service abroad in education, health, agriculture and other fields, with a living allowance and health care. Each opening has its own apply-by date. Some country programs have been paused, so check the openings page.

For JET (Japan), EPIK (Korea), Spain, France and Germany, see our top 7 teach abroad programmes.

Programs that have paused or changed

• Mitchell Scholarship (Ireland): the official site says it is currently not open, and selection of new classes was paused in 2024.
• Rangel and Pickering fellowships: both are relaunching for 2027 with new rules: fellows study at approved master’s programs in the Washington, D.C. area and must take the Foreign Service Officer Test. They lead to a Foreign Service career, so they are not study abroad awards. See the Rangel and Pickering listings.

Tips for US applicants

1. Talk to your campus study abroad or fellowships office early. Boren, Marshall and Watson all involve campus representatives, endorsements or internal deadlines.
2. Stack awards. Smaller awards like Gilman, Freeman-ASIA and FEA can cover different costs of the same program. Check each program’s rules on combining funding.
3. Pick less common languages. CLS and Boren focus on languages critical to US interests.
4. Plan a year ahead. Fulbright and Luce both closed for 2027 to 2028 in September and October 2026, about a year before grantees go abroad.

Next steps

See all dates in our scholarship deadline calendar, and check our Opportunities listings for more.