Scholarships

National Scholarships

• Asia Pacific Education Scholarship: The Foundation for Asia Pacific Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to create global citizens and leaders by assisting students in achieving their personal and professional goals of obtaining cultural and academic experiences within the Asia Pacific region. The Foundation supports this mission by awarding scholarships to help enable students to obtain an international experience in the Asia Pacific region. Students who are from underrepresented populations in international education are a priority. Visit the Asia Pacific Education website for more information: http://www.asia-pacificfoundation.org/index.htm.
• Boren Awards for International Study: Scholarships are available to both undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in issues of national security. This scholarship provides up to $10,000 for one semester and $20, 000 for an academic year, allowing students to add an important international and language component to their educations. Study abroad must be in one of the countries that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. Applications are due in January. Visit the Boren website for additional information: http://www.borenawards.org/.
• Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes: Critical Language Scholarships provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D. students. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their professional careers. Applications are generally due in November. Visit the CLS website for additional information: http://www.clscholarship.org/index.html.
• Freeman Awards for Study in Asia: Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia.Interested students should apply to Freeman-ASIA in the academic term before their study abroad program begins. Applications must also be endorsed by both the study abroad adviser and the financial aid adviser by the specified deadline. Visit the Freeman-ASIA website for additional details: http://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia.
• Fulbright U.S. Student Program: Benefits for Study/Research and English Teaching Assistantships include round-trip transportation to the host country; maintenance for the academic year, based on living costs in the host country; and limited health benefits. Recipients of Full/Research grants may also be eligible to receive funds for books, research allowances, full or partial tuition, and language study programs. Applicants must hold at least a BA or BS degree by the time the grant period begins; many students begin the application process in the second half of their junior year. Grants are awarded in nearly all fields and disciplines, including the sciences, professional fields and creative and performing arts. Visit the Fulbright website for additional details: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/about.html.
• Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships: The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants of up to $5,000 for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Students apply in the semester before they wish to study abroad. Visit the Gilman website for additional information: http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program.
• Golden Key International Honor Society Scholarships: Golden Key offers more than $600,000 (USD) in member-only scholarships and awards annually. Each scholarship has a unique submission deadline and application process. Contact the Honors College for additional details (honors@wku.edu).
• Overseas Press Club of America Foundation Scholarships: Graduate and undergraduate students, who aspire to become foreign correspondents, are invited to apply for one of twelve $2,000 scholarships to be awarded by the Overseas Press Club Foundation. The Foundation pays travel and living expenses for interns in foreign bureaus at such leading news organization as the Associated Press and Reuters, among others, and at foreign English-language media companies like the South China Morning Post and Cambodia Daily. In many cases, winning a prestigious OPC Foundation award has helped launch careers.Visit the OPC Foundation for more information: http://www.overseaspressclubfoundation.org/apply.html.
• Phi Kappa Phi Scholarships and Fellowships: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi awards more than $700,000 each year to outstanding students, Phi Kappa Phi members and chapters through the Society's various awards competitions: the Fellowship, Phi Kappa Phi Scholar & Artist, Study Abroad Grants, Literacy Grants, and Love of Learning. Applicants are evaluated based on numerous factors, including academic recognition and awards, campus and community involvement, leadership experiences, and quality and scope of proposed program. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi at WKU contact Dr. Clay Motley (clay.motley@wku.edu).

WKU Scholarships

• Flagship Scholars are typically eligible to apply for academic scholarships at the university. WKU offers numerous scholarships awarded on the basis of academic achievement and participation in extracurricular and leadership activities. Applications may be obtained from a high school counselor or the application can be printed from the WKU website. Applications must be postmarked by JANUARY 15. Visit the WKU Office of Student Financial Assistance for more information.
• WKU World Toppers Scholarships, awarded partially based on financial need, are designed to offset the costs for study abroad for WKU students.Visit the Office of Study Abroad & Global Learning for more information.

Flagship Scholarships

• Flagship funding is available for domestic and international immersion programs. Full tuition, room, and board is guaranteed to Flagship students who meet the eligibility requirements for the capstone year abroad. Contact Melinda Edgerton (melinda.edgerton@wku.edu) for more information.

Honors College Scholarships

• The Honors College offers Travel Abroad Grants (TAG) to offset the costs for Honors students who wish to travel abroad for a partial semester, full semester, or full year. Awards vary based on the length of study and availability of funds. There are two TAG deadlines per year, usually in the second month of each semester. Specific deadlines will be posted on the Honors College website.
• The Honors College offers Honors Development Grants (HDG) to support Honors students’ intellectual development by providing a maximum award of $500 to offset costs for traveling to professional conferences to present academic papers, conducting academic research, and purchasing tangible items to support academic endeavors. Students who plan on using HDG funds to complete a CE/T project may be considered for a CE/T Excellence Grant. CE/T Excellence Grant recipients are eligible for up to $1,500 in funds. Students should consult the Honors College website for detailed instructions and semester deadlines.

Student Government Association Scholarships

• The Student Government Association awards Study Abroad Scholarships to WKU students who wish to study abroad on a rolling basis each year. The scholarship awards up to $800 for a full semester (fall/spring) study abroad experience or $400 for a short semester (winter/summer) study abroad experience. Applications may be picked up in the SGA office in Downing University Center 130.
• The Student Government Association offers $250 Scholar Development Grants to offset expenses for conducting academic research, purchasing tangible items to support academic endeavors, and travel to professional conferences to present academic research. All WKU students are welcome to apply. Students may apply multiple times throughout the year; however, there is a maximum amount of $500 per student per academic year. Applications may be picked up in the SGA office in Downing University Center 130.