Study Abroad Grants 2026: Gilman, Boren, Fulbright, CLS

Plan 6 to 12 months ahead. Most of these deadlines fall two terms before you leave.

Study Abroad Grants at a Glance: 6 Programs and Their Status

Five of the 6 programs below are federal, funded through the U.S. Department of State or the Defense Department's National Security Education Program, and 1 is private. Here's where each stood on November 10, 2026:

Grantsights decision rule: if you get a Pell Grant, Gilman is the first application to file, because the pool is limited to Pell students. If you want a long program in a less common destination and would consider a federal job, Boren pays the most. If you've already graduated, look at Fulbright, not these semester grants.

Gilman Scholarship: Up to $5,000 for Pell Grant Students

The Gilman Program provides "up to $5,000 in merit-based scholarships" to American undergraduates with high financial need, and says nearly 3,000 scholarships will be awarded this academic year, according to its program overview (opens in a new tab). The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funds it, and IIE runs it. Since 2001 it has built an alumni network of more than 50,000.

Who qualifies. Per the Gilman eligibility page (opens in a new tab), you must be:

• a U.S. citizen or national;
• an undergraduate in good standing at an accredited U.S. college, including 2-year community colleges;
• receiving a Federal Pell Grant when you apply, or able to prove you'll receive one during the term abroad;
• applying to or accepted by a credit-bearing study abroad or internship program;
• going to a country rated Level 1 or 2 under the State Department's Travel Advisory system.

You can receive Gilman only once. There's no minimum program length, so short summer programs qualify. Programs involving certain overseas institutions on the Defense Department's Section 1286 list aren't eligible, and that list matters for China.

Supplements. A Critical Need Language Award adds up to $3,000 for studying a designated language where it's spoken, and a STEM Supplemental Award adds up to $1,000 for STEM coursework or internships built into a credit-bearing program. You don't need to be a STEM major for the STEM award.

What it pays for. Gilman money must go to eligible costs: program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance, international airfare, and passport and visa fees. Award amounts vary with your selection group, financial need and program length, so not everyone gets the full $5,000.

The deadline that trips people up. You apply by the cycle that matches your program's start date, and two advisers at your college must certify your application: a study abroad adviser and a financial aid adviser. The Gilman timeline shows:

A common mistake is waiting for your program acceptance before applying. Gilman says you can apply while your program application is still pending; you just need proof of acceptance before money is paid.

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships: Up to $25,000, With a Service Catch

Boren Scholarships pay undergraduates up to $25,000 for 25 to 52 weeks abroad, $12,500 for 12 to 24 weeks, and $8,000 for 8 to 11 weeks in summer, which only STEM majors can use, according to the Boren Awards site (opens in a new tab). Boren Fellowships for graduate students pay the same $25,000 and $12,500 tiers. The National Security Education Program (NSEP) funds them, under the Defense Language and National Security Education Office.

Where you can go. Boren funds study in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are always ineligible, and multi-country study tours such as a semester at sea don't qualify. Most programs must last at least 12 weeks, and Boren says it prefers 25 weeks or more.

The service requirement. Boren winners commit to working for the federal government for at least one year. Its essay guidance names the Departments of War, State and Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community as top-priority employers, and says graduate school before service is acceptable. Treat this as a real job commitment, not a formality.

Deadlines for 2027 awards: Boren Fellowships, January 20, 2027; Boren Scholarships, January 27, 2027. Funding can be used for programs starting as early as June 2027 or as late as March 1, 2028. Your campus Boren representative may set an earlier campus deadline.

Honest take: Boren pays more than any other grant in this guide, but it's a poor fit for a semester in Spain or a student with no interest in federal work. It's a strong fit for a year of Arabic, Swahili or Korean if you're already aiming for government service.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program: For After Graduation

Fulbright makes more than 1,800 awards a year, according to its U.S. Student Program site (opens in a new tab), but it isn't a semester-abroad grant. It funds U.S. citizens who will hold a bachelor's degree by the start of the grant (and don't have a PhD) to study, research or teach English abroad. Current undergraduates and graduate students apply through their school's Fulbright Program Adviser; others can apply through their most recent school or "At-Large."

Campus deadlines usually come 4 to 6 weeks before the national October deadline, per the getting started page (opens in a new tab), so a senior who wants to go abroad the year after graduation should start the application in the spring of junior year. Non-enrolled applicants should have limited professional experience, typically 7 years or less.

Critical Language Scholarship: A Funded Summer Abroad

The Critical Language Scholarship packs about a year of college-level language study into 8 weeks of summer instruction, with at least 18 hours of class a week, per the CLS program overview (opens in a new tab). It's offered in 9 languages: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Swahili, overseas or online.

CLS works differently from a scholarship check. Overseas participants get international and domestic travel, visa fees, room, board and program travel in the host country, plus instruction, textbooks, a proficiency test and academic credit through Bryn Mawr College. It doesn't cover passport fees (except for eligible students who apply for passport help), medical exams or immunizations.

Who can apply for 2027: U.S. citizens or nationals (permanent residents can't), at least 18 by May 15, 2027, enrolled in a U.S. degree program at the undergraduate or graduate level, and taking at least one credit-bearing class in fall 2026, with limited exceptions. The 2027 application closes November 17, 2026 at 8 p.m. Eastern, a week after this guide's check date. If you miss it, mark next fall on your calendar.

Freeman-ASIA: Up to $7,000 for East and Southeast Asia

Freeman-ASIA pays need-based awards of up to $3,000 for a summer, $5,000 for a semester or quarter, and $7,000 for an academic year, per IIE's award details page (opens in a new tab). It's privately funded by the Freeman Foundation, which has offices in Honolulu.

Who qualifies: U.S. citizens or permanent residents studying as undergraduates at a 2-year or 4-year school, with need-based aid or verifiable need (you report your Student Aid Index from the FAFSA). The program must be in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam, and it must last at least 8 weeks in summer, 10 for a quarter or 12 for a semester. Internship programs don't qualify. You can't have spent more than 4 weeks (summer applicants) or 6 weeks (semester or year applicants) in that country in the past 5 years, and winners complete a service project after returning.

Status: IIE's application page (opens in a new tab) said on November 10, 2026 that all 2026-2027 applications were closed and that applications for summer 2027, fall 2027, the 2027-2028 year and spring 2028 are expected to open in February 2027.

Using Pell Grants and Federal Loans Abroad

The maximum Federal Pell Grant for the 2026-27 award year is $7,395, according to the Department of Education's GEN-26-01 letter (opens in a new tab), which is more than the standard Gilman maximum. For many students, the federal aid they already get is the biggest study abroad grant they'll have.

Two federal rules make this work:

1. Eligibility abroad. Under 34 CFR 668.39 (opens in a new tab), a student in a study abroad program can receive federal student aid if they stay enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program at an eligible school and the school approves the study abroad program for academic credit. The program doesn't have to be required for your degree.
2. A bigger budget. The Higher Education Act's cost-of-attendance section, 20 U.S.C. 1087ll(a)(8), lets your school include "reasonable costs associated with such study" for a program approved for credit. A higher cost of attendance can raise how much aid, including loans, you're eligible for.

Schools typically handle this through a written agreement with the host program and an adjusted budget. Ask your financial aid office three things before you commit: whether the program is approved for credit, whether they'll raise your cost of attendance, and when the money will be released, since aid may arrive after deposits are due. Federal Student Aid's study abroad page (opens in a new tab) covers the basics, and our Pell Grant guide explains how your award is set. If you're not sure you qualify, our Pell Grant income limits guide has the 2026-27 cutoffs, and Gilman requires Pell, so this step comes first.

Are Federal Exchange Programs Still Funded?

All 5 federal programs in this guide showed active 2027 cycles on their own pages on November 10, 2026: Gilman expected nearly 3,000 awards this year, Boren and CLS had published 2027 deadlines, and Fulbright had just run its 2027-2028 competition. Gilman's eligibility page also says final awards depend on "the availability of funds."

The money behind them has shrunk. Grantsights analysis of the Institute of International Education's Form 990 filings, which cover the organization that runs Gilman, Fulbright U.S. Student and Freeman-ASIA, found:

Source: IIE Form 990 filings on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (opens in a new tab), EIN 13-1624046. IIE runs many programs, including some for international students coming to the U.S., so these totals aren't a count of American students abroad.

Specifically, IIE's 2025 Schedule I lists $89,661,508 in "stipends and grants" to 13,903 people in the U.S., about $6,450 each on average. The drop doesn't mean any one program closed. It does mean awards depend on yearly federal budgets, so apply to more than one program and don't sign a nonrefundable program contract on the strength of a scholarship you haven't won.

How to Apply: A 12-Month Timeline

Most study abroad grant deadlines fall 6 to 12 months before departure. Here's a plan for a student leaving in fall 2027:

1. 12 months out (fall 2026): Meet your study abroad office and your financial aid office. File the FAFSA for 2027-28 so your Pell status and Student Aid Index are on record; our guide to FAFSA deadlines by state lists state aid dates.
2. 10 to 11 months out: Pick 2 or 3 programs approved for credit at your school. Choose a destination that fits the grant (Boren excludes Western Europe; Freeman-ASIA covers only East and Southeast Asia).
3. November 2026: CLS is due November 17 for summer language study.
4. December 2026 to January 2027: Write Boren essays and get recommendations; Boren Scholarships are due January 27, 2027.
5. January to February 2027: File Gilman when the spring cycle opens in mid-January (due February 25, 2027), and get both advisers to certify it.
6. February 2027 onward: Watch for Freeman-ASIA's 2027-2028 application.
7. Before you pay deposits: Confirm your aid package in writing and ask about refund rules if a scholarship doesn't come through.

Documents to gather: transcripts, a study plan or statement of purpose, a resume, 1 or 2 recommendation letters, proof of program application or acceptance, your Pell award notice (for Gilman) and your FAFSA Student Aid Index (for Freeman-ASIA).

Taxes on Study Abroad Scholarships

IRS Publication 970 (2025) says a scholarship is tax free only if you're a degree candidate, and only up to your qualified education expenses: tuition and required fees, plus books, supplies and equipment required of all students in the course, according to IRS Publication 970 (opens in a new tab). Room and board and travel don't count as qualified expenses.

That matters abroad, because Gilman, Boren and Freeman-ASIA all list airfare and living costs among what they pay for. The part of a grant used for housing, meals or flights can be taxable income. Keep a record of what each dollar paid for, and ask a tax preparer before filing.

What Most Study Abroad Grant Lists Don't Tell You

Grantsights compared the program pages above with the way "study abroad grants" are usually listed and found 6 points that change the plan:

1. Your home campus is the first source. Pell (up to $7,395) and federal loans can follow you abroad. Ask your study abroad office whether your college or program provider has its own scholarships before you search nationally.
2. Fulbright isn't for a semester. It's a post-graduation grant, usually for a year.
3. Gilman requires Pell. If you don't receive a Pell Grant, you can't get the regular Gilman, though a military dependent may qualify for Gilman-McCain.
4. Boren comes with a job commitment. At least one year of federal work.
5. Destination rules knock out popular countries. Boren excludes Western Europe; Gilman requires Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2; Freeman-ASIA lists 14 places, and mainland China isn't one of them.
6. Program fees are where students underestimate costs. Deposits, airfare and visa fees often come due before any grant pays out, so budget for the gap.

Study Abroad Scholarship Scams

The FTC's advice is blunt: "Never pay to apply for a scholarship." Its scholarship and financial aid scams page (opens in a new tab) says legitimate companies never guarantee awards, that the FAFSA is free, and that you should never share your FSA ID. Its government grant scams page (opens in a new tab) adds that anyone asking for a fee to release a government grant is running a scam.

Watch for 4 warning signs:

• a "study abroad grant" you didn't apply for, or one that promises you'll win;
• a fee to apply, to "process" an award or to fill out the FAFSA for you;
• a request for your FSA ID, Social Security number or bank login;
• emails that don't come from the program's real domain. The Gilman Program says it uses email addresses ending in "iie.org."

Report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

Where the Grantsights Checker Fits

The Grantsights eligibility checker offers 2 routes for students. Pick "Individual," then "Student," and it sends you to Federal Student Aid's grants page to apply for Pell and other federal student grants, plus the USA.gov benefit finder (opens in a new tab), ending with the FTC's scam advice and a note that 211 connects you to local help. It doesn't list Gilman, Boren or other study abroad scholarships, so use the table above for those. For other aid at home, see our guide to grants for students. Students in art, music or writing programs can also compare the fellowships in our grants for artists guide.

FAQ: Study Abroad Grants

How much is the Gilman Scholarship?

Up to $5,000 for Pell Grant undergraduates, plus possible supplements of $3,000 (critical language) or $1,000 (STEM). Next deadline: February 25, 2027.

Can I use my Pell Grant to study abroad?

Yes, if you stay enrolled at your U.S. school and it approves the program for credit (34 CFR 668.39).

What is the Boren Scholarship and what's the catch?

Up to $25,000 for long programs outside Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in exchange for at least one year of federal service.

Is Fulbright a study abroad grant?

Not for a semester. It's for U.S. citizens who'll hold a bachelor's degree by the time the grant starts.

Is Freeman-ASIA still accepting applications?

Not now. IIE expects 2027-2028 applications to open in February 2027.

Are study abroad scholarships taxable?

The part used for room, board or travel generally is, per IRS Publication 970.

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Sources

1. Gilman Program: program overview (opens in a new tab), eligibility (opens in a new tab), deadlines and timeline (opens in a new tab), Critical Need Language Award (opens in a new tab), STEM Supplemental Award (opens in a new tab) and Gilman-McCain Scholarship (opens in a new tab)
2. Boren Awards (opens in a new tab), eligible programs (opens in a new tab) and essays and federal service (opens in a new tab)
3. Fulbright U.S. Student Program (opens in a new tab) and getting started (opens in a new tab)
4. Critical Language Scholarship: eligibility (opens in a new tab) and program overview (opens in a new tab)
5. IIE Freeman-ASIA: award details (opens in a new tab), eligibility (opens in a new tab) and apply (opens in a new tab)
6. Department of Education: GEN-26-01, 2026-27 Pell Grant maximum and minimum awards (opens in a new tab)
7. eCFR: 34 CFR 668.39, Study abroad programs (opens in a new tab); 20 U.S.C. 1087ll, cost of attendance (opens in a new tab); Federal Student Aid: study abroad (opens in a new tab)
8. IRS Publication 970 (2025), Tax Benefits for Education (opens in a new tab)
9. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: Institute of International Education, EIN 13-1624046 (opens in a new tab) - Form 990 for the years ending September 30, 2024 and 2025
10. FTC: How To Avoid Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams (opens in a new tab), FTC: Government Grant Scams (opens in a new tab) and ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab)