Here's the situation most international students at US universities don't know they're in: you have more access to study abroad funding than you probably think. Not despite being an international student, but sometimes specifically because of it.
The standard assumption is that study abroad scholarships in the US are only for domestic students who want to go overseas. That's partially true. But a significant number of scholarships fund any currently enrolled US university student, regardless of citizenship or visa status, to participate in an approved international educational program.
What you need is a clear picture of what's actually available, what you realistically qualify for, and how to build a funding stack that makes study abroad financially viable. That's what this guide covers.
The Foundational Question: Can International Students Study Abroad While on an F-1 Visa?
This comes up constantly and the answer is: it depends on your program and your institution.
F-1 students can typically participate in approved study abroad programs that are administered through their US host university and that maintain their full-time enrollment status. This means the program needs to be affiliated with or recognized by your US university, and your enrollment needs to remain active with your home institution throughout.
The critical steps: inform your campus DSO (Designated School Official) about your plans, confirm your I-20 coverage for the duration of the program, and verify that your F-1 visa stamp will allow re-entry to the US when you return. If your visa stamp has expired, you'll need to renew it abroad before returning.
Get written confirmation from your DSO before committing to any program. This is not an area to navigate on assumptions.
Scholarships Available to International Students at US Universities
The Gilman Scholarship: If you receive a federal Pell Grant, you're eligible for the Gilman. This is specifically for students who historically have not studied abroad, which often includes international students from lower-income backgrounds enrolled at US universities on financial aid. Up to $5,000 for standard programs, up to $8,000 for critical need students, with an additional $3,000 for critical need language study. See our full Gilman application guide for the essay strategy that wins.
The Freeman-ASIA Scholarship: Specifically for US undergraduate students studying in East or Southeast Asia on a program of 8 weeks or more. Awards range from $3,000-$7,000 depending on program length. Applications open each cycle for programs in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and other Freeman-ASIA eligible countries. If your home country is one of these and your US university study abroad program takes you back or to another country in the region, this scholarship is directly relevant.
NSEP David L. Boren Scholarship: For undergraduate students studying a critical need language in a less-common study abroad destination. Languages include Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, Swahili, and others. Awards up to $20,000 for an academic year program. Importantly, the Boren Scholarship has a service component requiring recipients to work for a federal agency for at least one year after graduation. Verify your visa situation with your DSO before applying, as the service requirement has implications for non-permanent residents.
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS): A fully funded summer program run by the US State Department for studying less-commonly-taught languages in the countries where they're spoken. Open to US citizens and permanent residents only. If you have permanent residency or are eligible for naturalization, this is worth knowing about.
Institutional scholarships through your US university: This is the most commonly missed category. Every US university that has a study abroad office has some form of institutional funding for study abroad, ranging from small travel grants ($500-$2,000) to full program scholarships. These are housed in your study abroad office, your financial aid office, your specific department, or your dean's office. Many go unclaimed every year because students don't ask. Book an appointment with your study abroad office specifically to ask what funding is available to students with your status.
Platforms That Aggregate Study Abroad Scholarships
Fastweb (fastweb.com): Create a full profile including your nationality, enrollment status, major, and GPA. Fastweb's algorithm matches you to scholarships, including study abroad-specific ones. Filter for "study abroad" and check results regularly because new scholarships are added frequently.
Bold.org: Growing scholarship database with a higher percentage of scholarships that accept applications from international students at US universities. The essay requirements are often shorter (500 words or less). Apply to multiple scholarships while primary applications are in review.
Scholarships.com: Broader database, useful for finding niche scholarships specific to your country of origin, your academic field, or your extracurricular focus. International students are often eligible for country-specific scholarships from organizations that fund students of that national origin studying anywhere.
IIE Funding for US Study and Study Abroad Database (iie.org): The Institute of International Education maintains databases specifically relevant to international students and study abroad. Check their resources directly rather than only relying on aggregators.
What Nobody Tells You About Stacking Study Abroad Scholarships
Most students treat scholarship applications as an either/or situation. They apply to one, wait for the result, and then apply to the next. This is inefficient.
The correct approach: apply to every scholarship you qualify for simultaneously. Most scholarships allow you to receive multiple awards, as long as you disclose the others in your application. The Gilman, for example, explicitly permits stacking.
One student I worked with studying abroad in Japan stacked a Gilman award ($5,000), a Freeman-ASIA scholarship ($5,000), and a $1,500 institutional travel grant from her home university's international studies department. Her study abroad program, including flights, housing, and living costs for four months, was fully funded. She applied to all three programs in the same two-week period.
The effort wasn't proportionally more than applying to one. The return was three times the funding.
Your Study Abroad Scholarship Action Checklist
- [ ] Confirm with your campus DSO that your planned study abroad program is compatible with your F-1 status and your I-20
- [ ] Book an appointment with your campus study abroad office specifically to ask what funding is available to students with your enrollment and visa status
- [ ] Check eligibility for the Gilman Scholarship if you receive a federal Pell Grant
- [ ] Check eligibility for the Freeman-ASIA Scholarship if your program is in East or Southeast Asia
- [ ] Create full profiles on Fastweb, Bold.org, and Scholarships.com with accurate status and background information
- [ ] Check your academic department for discipline-specific travel grants (many departments fund research and study abroad travel that students never find)
- [ ] Apply to all eligible scholarships within the same cycle, not sequentially
- [ ] Disclose other scholarship awards in each application as required, but confirm that stacking is permitted (it usually is)
- [ ] Use Grammarly and your campus writing center to strengthen your scholarship essays before submitting
Before vs. After: The Funding Gap Most Students Leave on the Table
The pattern I see consistently: students planning study abroad look at the cost, decide it's not feasible, and either don't go or take out loans they didn't need to take.
A student from Brazil at a mid-size Midwestern university came to me having already decided she couldn't afford her semester in Morocco. She had checked one scholarship and been rejected. After mapping her actual eligibility, she qualified for three institutional grants she hadn't known existed, a Bold.org scholarship specific to students studying in Africa, and a departmental travel grant from her Arabic language program. Total funding secured: $8,400. Her program cost: $7,200. She went. She had money left over.
The funding is there. The gap is knowing where to look and applying across all channels at the same time.
The Real Point
Study abroad as an international student at a US university is logistically more complex than it is for a domestic student. The visa considerations are real and they require coordination with your DSO. But the financial barriers are more solvable than most students assume, because the scholarship infrastructure is both larger and less competitive than it appears.
Apply to everything you qualify for. Do it simultaneously. Stack the funding. Go.
The students who study abroad during their time at a US university come back with international professional networks, language skills, and a cross-cultural perspective that is genuinely differentiated in the job market. That's not marketing language. It shows up in hiring decisions in fields from international business to development work to research.
The investment in figuring out the funding is worth making.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can F-1 visa holders study abroad while enrolled at a US university?
Yes, in most cases. F-1 students can participate in study abroad programs that are administered through or affiliated with their US host university and that maintain active full-time enrollment status. You must inform your campus DSO before committing, confirm your I-20 coverage for the duration of the program, and verify that your visa stamp will allow re-entry to the US when you return. If your visa stamp is expired, you'll need to renew it abroad before returning to the US.
What scholarships can international students at US universities use for study abroad?
The Gilman Scholarship (for Pell Grant recipients), the Freeman-ASIA Scholarship (for programs in East or Southeast Asia), institutional travel grants from your home university, department-specific research travel grants, and scholarships from platforms like Bold.org and Fastweb that accept international student applicants. The availability of specific programs depends on your visa status, citizenship, enrollment status, and program details. Your campus study abroad office is the most efficient starting point for identifying what you specifically qualify for.
How do I find out if my study abroad program is compatible with my F-1 visa?
Talk directly to your campus DSO (Designated School Official). They manage your SEVIS record and your I-20 and are the only person who can give you authoritative guidance on whether your specific program, in your specific situation, is compatible with your visa status. Do this before you commit to a program, not after.
Can I stack multiple study abroad scholarships?
Yes, in most cases. Most scholarships permit recipients to receive multiple awards as long as they disclose other funding in their application. The Gilman Scholarship, for example, explicitly allows stacking with other scholarships. Apply to every scholarship you qualify for simultaneously rather than waiting for one result before applying to the next. Disclosure requirements vary by program, so read each application's terms, but the default assumption should be that stacking is permitted unless explicitly stated otherwise.
