Scholarships

• 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. 
• 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.
• 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. 
• 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. 
• Freeman Awards for Study in Asia: The Freeman-ASIA scholarship is designed to support U.S.-based undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study overseas 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. Award recipients are required to share their experiences with their home campuses or communities to encourage study abroad by others and fulfill the program's goal of increasing understanding of Asia in the United States
• 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. 
• 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.
• 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. 

• 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 submitted by December 1. 
• WKU World Toppers Scholarships, awarded partially based on financial need, are designed to offset the costs for study abroad for WKU students.
• WKU Passport Scholarships: Having a U.S. Passport should never be barrier for WKU students to study abroad and experience the world. We're here to help with the application process and support students through this process.

• Flagship funding is available for approved domestic and international immersion programs. For more information, please contact Sara Moody at 270-745-2763.

• 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.

The Lifetime Experience Grant program, funded with the generous support of the WKU Sisterhood, is open to students in all majors across all campuses. It is designed to help students become more competitive for national scholarships by supporting research, international study, creative activities, student-led engagement efforts, or other scholarly activities. The goal of the grant program is to fund unique experiences where students will be engaged in their disciplines outside of the classroom. These grants are meant to allow students to pursue their big dreams, attain their academic and professional goals, and increase their competitiveness for national scholarships.

In the past, students have used these grants to pursue internships in their field in the U.S. and abroad, gain training in their discipline not available at WKU, complete service projects in the U.S. and abroad, and conduct research. Recipients must meet with an adviser in the Office of Scholar Development and apply for a national or international scholarship. Preference will be given to students planning to apply for at least one of the following national scholarships: Boren, Critical Language, Fulbright, Gilman, Goldwater, Marshall, Mitchell, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, Truman, Udall. Additionally, students must present their projects at the WKU Student Research Conference or another appropriate venue.

Students may apply for up to $3,000.

• 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 on the second floor of the Downing Student Union. 
• 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 on the second floor of the Downing Student Union.