Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Funding Your Study Abroad Experience

Education Abroad 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.  For assistance with this process, give the Education Abroad Office a call at ext. 7117 or write us an email at studyabroad@pcc.edu.

In addition to reading the below information, we also encourage you to watch the funding videos  that feature tips and resources from Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and Education Abroad.

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.

Please complete the Study Abroad and Financial Aid Form to connect with Melinda Leiva or Matt Sagayaga. Once you complete this form, you should receive a response from Financial Aid within one week. It is great to do this step as early as possible!

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:

General Study Abroad Scholarship Parameters and Deadlines

Name of Scholarship	Description	Dates and Due Dates	Award Amount
PCC Foundation	The PCC Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships every year to students to make education more affordable.	Opens  November 1, 2022, due February 1, 2023	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 within the PCC Foundation Scholarship application, so make sure you check the box for the PCC Education Abroad Scholarship as you apply. Additional questions are detailed below.	Opens in November 1 2022, due February 1, 2023	Varies
Gilman Scholarship – October Deadline	For Pell Eligible students participating in a study abroad program of any length. Detailed application instructions can be found here: Gilman Scholarship Application Instructions.	opens in August 2022 Due October 4, 2022	$1,000-$5,000
Gilman Scholarship – March Deadline	For Pell Eligible students participating in a study abroad program of any length. Detailed application instructions can be found here: Gilman Scholarship Application Instructions.	Opens in Jan- due March 7, 2023	$1,000-$5,000
Gilman-McCain Scholarship	For dependent child of an active duty military member(s) during the time of application in one of the following branches: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard, and a recipient of any type of Title IV federal financial aid.	Rolling	$5,000
Fund for Education Abroad	Specific for students participating on a study abroad program. While there is a general summer category FEA also Includes additional dedicated scholarships, such as the Rainbow Scholarship.	January 18, 2023	Varies
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.	TBD	$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.	Opens in October 11 2022, due in January, 2023	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.	TBD	$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.	TBD	$750
OSAC Scholarships	For Oregon college students. Students may select up to 40 different eligible scholarships in one application.	TBD	varies

Many PCC students are awarded multiple scholarships for education abroad!

Helpful Scholarship Resources

• Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay – Tips
• Information on Requesting Letters of Recommendation
• Request for a Letter of Recommendation – Template
• STEPS to APPLY FOR A GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP

3. Fundraising

We encourage you 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 to help advertise your fundraising event plan. Check out the GoFundMe Pages for students from our recent summer cohort!

*Note: GoFundMe Pages are not recommended for F-1 international students due to visa status regulations. Talk to OISS for more information.

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.