For many students, a study abroad experience is only possible with financial assistance. Each year, CIEE awards scholarships and grants to students who plan to study overseas.
Are you ready to step outside of your comfort zone? Explore new cities, immerse yourself in local culture, learn a new language, and even enjoy local cuisine all while earning college credit. Discover amazing destinations around the world through CIEE’s variety of study abroad programs for high school and college students.
With programs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, your options are endless. Spend your high school summer break in Cape Town exploring Leadership through Mandela’s Example in Cape Town, spring term in college studying Engineering and Society in Madrid , or take a gap year to learn about Climate Change Mitigation in Monteverde. Whatever your passion, CIEE has the program for you. Let’s dive in.
CIEE Scholarship for High School
CIEE is a 65-year-old leading nonprofit education organization offering both study abroad and work exchange programs to high school and college aged students. College students can choose from nearly 200 study abroad programs in 40 countries, and high school students can choose from amongst cultural exchanges in 11 different countries: Australia, Chile, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, and New Zealand.
CIEE students attend local high schools and live with local host families. Each year, CIEE awards over $3 million in scholarships and grants. The CIEE site allows you to search for programs by discipline, term, country, city, and language of instruction.
CIEE manages the largest study abroad scholarship fund for high school students in the U.S. They are intrigued by the idea of making study abroad opportunities more accessible to more students and amplifying the positive impact of educational exchange around the world.
Their selective scholarships and awards are a prestigious honor that can help you stand out on your college applications, resumes for career opportunities, and other experiences to come.
What Types of High School Scholarships Can You Apply To?
There are two types of CIEE high school study abroad scholarships available:
- Global Navigator Scholarship (GNS): covers between $500 and 100% of your tuition costs (this is the price listed at the top of every high school summer abroad program page). You must submit your parent(s)’s or legal guardian(s)’s financial information to apply for this scholarship.
- Academic Merit Award: covers $500 from your tuition costs. You don’t need to submit your parent(s)’s or legal guardian(s)’s financial information to apply for this award.
CIEE Study Abroad Program
Here are some of the CIEE Study Abroad Programs to consider:
1. High School Summer Abroad
Experience a summer of language immersion, art courses, STEM courses, service-learning abroad, and other topics in one of 30+ destinations. Today’s interconnected world requires a range of global competencies, with intercultural awareness and communication skills at the top of the list. That’s why CIEE’s high school summer abroad programs focus on language proficiency, local interactions, and intentional reflection in countries all over the world.
CIEE seeks to provide life-changing study abroad experiences to as many motivated high school students as possible. It’s a critical part of their overall mission to encourage and prepare students to connect and communicate across cultures and make a positive impact on society, both globally and locally.
2. High School Semester Abroad
Live the life of a local teen and attend high school for a semester or an academic year in Spain, Japan, France, Germany and more. Global Navigator high school semester abroad programs let you spend 3 months to a full academic year enrolled in a high school in one of 8 destinations.
Live the life of a local student, make lifelong friends, and immerse yourself in all that your destination offers. Don’t miss the chance to truly get to know a new place, gain independence, and stand out on college applications.
3. Gap Year Abroad
CIEE Gap Year Abroad programs are focused on supporting participants in acquiring knowledge and developing skills to live in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.
In addition to career exploration activities and experiences and gaining a better understanding of the local culture, you will take part in the Global Competence Course.
This online course will allow you to connect and collaborate in real-time with the entire cohort of Gap participants worldwide through interactive workshops and discussions. Reflect on your own cultural biases, share insights about your experience and learn about topics ranging from cultural identity and leadership styles to how to work and live sustainably or develop communication skills.
4. Experience the World Before College
For recent high school graduates who want to travel, explore, and experience a new culture before attending college. Take 15-20 hours per week of language classes and live with a host family in Spain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, or Morocco.
The gap year programs combine language classes with a homestay and cultural activities and excursions to help you gain fluency in 1 or 6 languages (while having the time of your life).
There’s nothing like full immersion to master a foreign language. Not only do you grow new vocabulary at lightning speed, but you also gain invaluable insights into a local culture and pick up all the little things that make human interactions more authentic, which simply can’t be taught in a classroom, from how your host mom greets you in the morning to how people form a queue at the bus stop.
5. First Year Abroad
CIEE First Year Abroad (FYA) allows you to complete your first year or semester of college in one of 7 incredible global locations. Gain a deeper global perspective and discover a local culture alongside CIEE College Study Abroad participants, all while being enrolled at FYA’s academic home institution, Dean College in Franklin, MA.
Take courses with CIEE local instructors and enjoy amazing cultural excursions. Best-in-class student safety, secure and high-quality housing, and hands-on onsite support all ensure that your first year of college is the most incredible experience abroad.
Upon your return, you can transfer to the college of your choice or continue at Dean in a bachelor’s degree program. Whatever path you follow, you will have gained the confidence and maturity that will make a real difference on campus and set you up for success.
What Are the Benefits of Studying Abroad for a Semester of High School?
High school students are open-minded, and experiencing a new country and culture can make a lasting, positive impact in their future.
On CIEE high school semester abroad programs, students:
- Experience total immersion
- Attend a reputable, well-established high school
- Live with a carefully-screened host family
- Get to know their host countries as a local
- Have the support of CIEE staff every step of the way
- After participating in the program, students gain a global perspective, intercultural skills, communication skills, language skills, independence, maturity and life long friends, too.
Program tuition includes all expenses:
- Airfare to and from country
- Placement in a reputable high school
- Placement with a carefully-screened host family
- Meals
- Excursions
- Medical and travel insurance
- 24/7 support and more
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria varies with each scholarship.
- U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident
- Current full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate [freshman, sophomore, junior] in good academic standing
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Identify as an ethnicity typically underrepresented on study abroad programs (e.g., American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander)
Student Type:
- freshman
- sophomore
- junior
- senior
- graduate
Requirements
- Letter of Recommendation from a faculty member or administrator at your institution
- Copy of most recent transcript
- Personal video
What Do CIEE Scholarships Cover For High School Study?
CIEE awards millions in scholarship awards each year and scholarships can cover up to 100% of program tuition based on your family’s finances. Scholarships go towards covering a portion of program tuition.
Can an international student get a scholarship in high school?
They know that foreign students can bring their culture, customs, beliefs and many other benefits to their communities. With this in mind, these schools are willing to extend large scholarships to international students. In fact, in many cases, foreign students receive even higher financial aid than U.S. students. It is important to remember that scholarships are offered by schools and not by CSU.
Requirements For International Students
- Age: Students 13–18 18
- Grades: Students must have a B+ or higher in all subjects for the last 3 years
- English Ability: Submit an approved English proficiency exam to determine if ESL is needed
- Adaptability: Students should be willing to adapt to American culture and customs
- Maturity: Students should be mature enough to overcome the challenges of adapting to another culture and communicating in a foreign language
Conclusion
For many years, CIEE has demonstrated a proven track record for helping high school and college students explore new cultures, learn new skills, and achieve their academic goals within a diverse portfolio of high-quality programs. It’s why they have a network of more than 300 college and university partners. Their Center Directors are seasoned international education professionals and CIEE’s Health, Safety, and Security team is an industry leader in risk assessment, mitigation, staff training, and duty of care standards.
