High School Study Abroad Scholarships

Global Navigator Scholarships (GNS): Any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is currently a freshman, sophomore, or junior and residing in the United States may apply.

Students may submit a new application each year if they have declined Global Navigator Scholarships (based on financial need + academic merit) in previous years within the accept/decline window. Students who confirmed travel and cancelled later (or who failed to communicate their accept/decline decision within that window) are not eligible to apply.

Students who have traveled on a Global Navigator Scholarship (based on financial need + academic merit) in previous years are still eligible for an Academic Merit Award and an alumni discount.

Academic Merit Award: All high school students may apply. You can only travel on an Academic Merit Award once during your high school career. Returning Academic Merit Award alumni are welcome to travel without a scholarship/award in a future year.

1. Click “Apply” or “Apply Now” on any of our high school summer abroad programs.

2. Once you create an account or log in and start an application, the first question you will be asked is: “Do you want to apply for a scholarship?” Select the type of scholarship you’re interested in (Global Navigator Scholarship or Academic Merit Award).

3. The application will be slightly different when you apply for the Global Navigator Scholarship than when you apply for the Academic Merit Award. For the Global Navigator Scholarship, you will select your top three choices for programs (you should include at least two Language & Culture programs). For the Academic Merit Award, you will apply directly to your top choice program.

Note: When you apply for the Global Navigator Scholarship, we will do our best to award you a scholarship for one of your top choices. However, if program spots have been filled, you may be awarded a scholarship for another program.

During the application process, you will need to provide the following:

• Answers to short essay questions. Read our blog post on how to write a great scholarship essay.
• Your academic transcript for current year
• A teacher recommendation

For a Global Navigator Scholarship, you will need to provide additional documents:

• Proof of your U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
• A copy of your legal guardian(s)’s most recent 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return form. You will need to enter some key data points from the 1040 in the application.

High school scholarships to study abroad aim to make the cost of studying abroad with CIEE more affordable. 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 (this is the price listed on every high school summer abroad program page of our website). 

The program tuition includes your:

• Classes
• Housing
• 3 meals/day
• Ground transportation (once in-country)
• Access to local phone and WIFI
• Excursions and cultural activities
• Travel medical protection
• 24/7 on-site support
• and more

Note: Scholarship money cannot cover the cost of airfare to and from the country, passport or visa fees, or personal spending money. To make your study abroad experience even more affordable, see our fundraising section.

All our CIEE Global Navigator High School Summer Abroad programs offer scholarships or awards. Our multi-destination programs and other programs where space is limited only offer Academic Merit Awards.

Note that 90% of Global Navigator Scholarships are awarded to students going on Language & Culture programs. To give yourself the best chance of receiving a scholarship, list at least two Language & Culture program choices on your Global Navigator Scholarship application.

If you need financial aid to be able to participate on program and can meet the eligibility requirements, you should apply for the Global Navigator Scholarship. Remember, to be eligible for this type of scholarship, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen/permanent resident AND
• Be completing your freshman, sophomore, or junior year of high school in the academic year before you summer program

If you don’t have a financial need, have previously received the Global Navigator Scholarship (based on financial need + academic merit), or don't meet the requirements above, you should apply for the Academic Merit Award.

All scholarship applications are due January 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Global Navigator Scholarship announcements will go out in February.

If you are applying for an Academic Merit Award, your application will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis, typically within two weeks of submitting your application.

If you have any questions, please contact your school or email CIEE at hsabroad@ciee.org.

All scholarships are competitive. Applications are reviewed by an independent review board. The quality of your application is based on your transcript, GPA, teacher recommendation, and your essays. For those applying for Global Navigator Scholarships, the scholarship amount is determined by the tax form provided in the application.

Receiving any amount of scholarship funding means you had a strong, competitive application!

Global Navigator Scholarship announcements will go out in February. You will have 7 days after announcements go out to accept or decline the award. If you decide to travel, a $1,000 acceptance deposit will be due at that time.

Academic Merit Awards are awarded on a rolling basis, typically within two weeks of submitting your application.

If you do not receive a scholarship but you still want to travel with us, give us a call at 1-866-583-0332. We can talk about program availability and the process of traveling without a scholarship.

We also encourage you to look into fundraising to help make study abroad a reality.

If you are unable to travel without a scholarship, we encourage you to apply for one again next year if you are still eligible.