Funding Your Study Abroad Experience
The Education Abroad office encourages students to look at all of their options to cover the costs of studying abroad: financial aid, scholarships, savings, and creative funding sources. Advisors work closely with students to help with this process, and are especially knowledgeable about competitive study abroad scholarships. This process can be overwhelming, but very rewarding.
For assistance with this process, give the Education Abroad Office a call at extension 7117 or write us an email at studyabroad@pcc.edu or attend one of our First Steps Information Sessions. Download our handy Study Abroad Expense Worksheet to fill in your estimated budget and determine how your funding sources might come together to cover the costs of your program.
1. Financial Aid
Federal and state financial aid can be applied towards any PCC Education Abroad program, and any program through the co-enrollment agreement with PSU. Because each student’s financial aid situation is unique, we recommend that you contact the Financial Aid Office as your first step, to find out what is available. Make sure your file for your FAFSA in October.
Financial Aid Contact for Study Abroad: Melinda Leiva. Be sure to include your name and G# in your email to Melinda.
2. Apply for Scholarships
There are numerous scholarship and aid opportunities specifically designed to help you fund your education abroad experience. Scholarships available for PCC study abroad programs include:
| Name of Scholarship | Description | Next Due Date | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCC Foundation | The PCC Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships every year to students to make education more affordable. | March 1, 2020 | Varies |
| PCC Education Abroad Scholarship | The Education Abroad office has its own PCC Foundation Scholarship for students applying for PCC faculty-led programs. The application is found in the education abroad program application portal and can be completed after you have been accepted into a faculty-led program. Note: For Education Abroad application and scholarship, click “I have a username and password” and log in on the MyPCC login screen. | February 1, 2020 | Varies |
| Early Gilman Scholarship | For students receiving Pell Grants participating in programs abroad for 2 weeks – 1 year. Detailed application instructions can be found here: Gilman Scholarship Application Instructions. | October 2019 | Up to $5,000 depending on program length |
| Gilman Scholarship | For students receiving Pell Grants participating in programs abroad for 2 weeks – 1 year. Detailed application instructions can be found here: Gilman Scholarship Application Instructions. | March 2020 | Up to $5,000 depending on program length |
| Fund for Education Abroad | For Education Abroad programs of at least 4 weeks. Includes additional dedicated scholarships, such as the Rainbow Scholarship. | January 2020 | Up to $10,000 depending on program length |
| Diversity Network | For economically disadvantaged students, African-American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, multiracial/ethnic or Indigenous/Native-American, students with disabilities and first generation college undergraduate students attending a 4-week summer education abroad program. | May 2020 | $1,000 |
| Pride Foundation | Pride Foundation provides essential financial resources and community support to LGBTQ and allied student leaders in the Northwest—particularly those who face barriers due to race, economic circumstances, identity, ability, location, or lack of family support. | January 2020 | Varies |
| Explore the World | Open to residents of Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, ages 18-30, who lack the financial resources to go abroad. Award is to be used for an overseas trip and must involve an educational or service learning component. | March 2020 | $2,000 |
| Go Overseas | For any student participating in study a study abroad program. The scholarship is awarded based on the creativity and analytical thinking displayed through writing samples and/or video submissions. | TBD | $500 |
| The Guide to Online Schools | For students enrolled at a public community college, junior college, technical college, or city college, and working towards a certificate, diploma or degree. | TBD | $2,500 |
| LewerMark Make your Mark Scholarship | For students enrolled in summer or fall study abroad programs. Must include an advisor recommendation letter. | April 2020 | $750 |
| OSAC Scholarships | For Oregon college students. Students may select up to 40 different eligible scholarships in one application. | March 2020 | varies |
Many PCC students are awarded multiple scholarships for education abroad! You can read about why Chad Sprangel, a 2017 Gilman Scholarship recipient, decided to study abroad.
Other scholarships include:
- Location/Language/Discipline-Specific scholarships, which usually focus on awarding funds to students focusing on a particular language, going to a particular part of the world, or studying a particular field.
- Provider scholarships, which are open to students studying with specific study abroad program providers.
In addition, there are numerous scholarships that go toward funding your education which can be applied to study abroad opportunities as well.
- PCC Foundation Scholarships can be applied towards any PCC education abroad program that awards PCC residential credit.
- Many private and external scholarships that support PCC students such as OSAC, Ford Family Foundation, and others can be applied towards an education abroad program; check with the scholarship sponsor for details.
If you are interested in applying for any of these opportunities, or for other external education abroad scholarships, contact Education Abroad at ext. 7117 or studyabroad@pcc.edu for a scholarship advising appointment.
Helpful Scholarship Resources
- Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay – Tips
- Information on Requesting Letters of Recommendation
- Request for a Letter of Recommendation – Template
- Gilman Scholarship Application Instructions
3. Fundraising
You are welcome to think outside of the box to creatively fund your study abroad experience! Talk to the study abroad office about fundraising ideas including GoFundMe and other funding opportunities. We are happy to display a GoFundMe Site on our website, help advertise a fundraising event you plan, and connect you with our Peer Mentors. Check out the GoFundMe Pages from our 2019 students!
4. Make an appointment with Education Abroad to learn more about all of these options!
In addition to helping you identify scholarships for study abroad, we are happy to provide scholarship essay guidance and revisions. Stay tuned for upcoming scholarship meetings in the Fall. You are also welcome to use our computer to apply for scholarships.
Hear from a PCC Student!
I am a student finishing up at PCC and moving on to PSU in the fall. I applied for scholarships for the first time this year. I'm a first generation student and didn't know much about the process so that stopped me from applying for a while. I was also scared of having to write and never felt like I was good at writing. I spent A LOT of time in the tutor centers and reading writing centers to get help with my scholarship applications. I feel like while the process was difficult, time consuming, and sometimes frustrating, I have actually become a stronger writer because of it. This has helped me in my classes and I even received several scholarships. Emory Neer, Cuba summer 2018