2 Best CIEE Travel Grants for College Students

If you’re planning for a study abroad adventure, chances are you’re starting to get organized and assess what needs to be done ahead of your travels. And one of the most important steps: Exploring your study abroad scholarship and grant options. 

Let’s dive in as we discuss two of the best CIEE travel grants for students like yourself and learn more about how you can make your study abroad dream a reality!  

GAIN Travel Grant 

CIEE’s GAIN Travel Grant is part of our need-based scholarship offerings based on students’ Student Aid Index (SAI) from their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at their enrolled institution.  

This travel grant helps students with their travel costs to and from their study abroad or internship program destination up to $1,500 for semester and quarter programs, and $500 for summer, J-term, and single block programs.  

Any student with an SAI up to 10,000 is guaranteed to receive this grant, while those more than 10,000, will still be considered post-deadline. Important to note: The deadlines for this grant vary by term:

• Early Deadline for Summer Global Internship Programs: February 15
• Summer/Fall Programs: April 1
• J-term/Spring Programs: October 15

The steps to apply for the GAIN Travel Grant are super simple:  

• Step 1: Students upload their FAFSA Student Aid Report
• Step 2: Submit a CIEE Scholarships and Grants application 

This is an incredible opportunity for students to receive some extra assistance with their travel costs!  

Trailblazer Grant 

Also part of our travel grants is the Trailblazer Grant, which is considered in our third category of scholarship offerings, deemed “other,” based on study abroad programs or alumni status. This specific grant is awarded to students who travel on a new 2025 spring, summer, or fall study abroad program with CIEE.  

CIEE offers many qualifying spring and fall programs for this specific travel grant that span several countries including:  

• Estonia 
• France 
• Italy 
• Spain 
• Greater China
• New Zealand
• Ghana
• Jordan

Make sure to check out each of the specific study abroad programs and cities on our Trailblazer Grant page.  

Students may receive up to $1,500 as a flight voucher for their eligible CIEE program and, like our other scholarship and grant options, the steps to applying are straightforward. Once you’ve decided on your new 2025 spring, summer, or fall program, all you’ll need to do is the following:  

• Step 1: Fill out the form to receive details about your flight voucher
• Step 2: Select one of our qualifying programs  
• Step 3: Start your CIEE application  

The Trailblazer Grant is a simple way to gain some extra assistance with your study abroad travels!  

Travel Grant FAQs  

While the application process for our travel grants and travel scholarships is relatively straightforward, we’re sure you have some questions. And we don’t blame you. It can seem like a complicated process and it’s all brand-new information.  

We’ve compiled some of our most frequently asked questions about our travel grants and answered them!  

What is a travel grant?  

Starting with the very basics, a grant is a non-refundable endowment given by an individual, organization, or government department for a specific purpose linked to public benefit. Travel grants in the case of studying abroad, are awarded to students from a non-profit organization, (that’s us: CIEE), to assist students in their international education. And the public benefit is robust—creating global citizens who will make the world a better place (that’s you)!  

It’s important to note that travel grants aren’t just awarded to students. For example, researchers can apply for travel grants to expand their studies, and many other instances.  

Do scholarships cover travel expenses?  

Yes! Some of our travel scholarships cover travel expenses, but some are specific to program fees. For example, while the GAIN Travel Grant helps cover travel costs, the Gilman Go Global Grant helps cover semester program fees. Take a close look at each of our offerings on our scholarships and grants page to best understand what type of aid covers specific aspects of your study abroad program and travels.  

Read More: Study Abroad Scholarships: Everything You Need to Know  

How do I ask for travel funding?  

As the question implies, simply asking for travel funding is perfectly acceptable!  

We always have CIEE staff available to help point you in the right direction. As we’ve mentioned, exploring our scholarships and grants page is a great place to start, as well as consulting with your on-campus study abroad office; they might have some additional travel grants and scholarships related to your specific institution. Your academic advisor might even be able to provide some helpful resources.  

What’s important to note is that there are a lot of different places and people to look to for help with travel funding, and CIEE is another wonderful resource to support you and help make your study abroad program affordable and accessible.  

How to apply for a travel grant?  

As we’ve mentioned, applying for a travel grant with CIEE is simple! On your CIEE application, make sure to fill out the scholarship and grants portion. And if you have any questions, we’re happy to help!  

Studying abroad is possible with the many different travel grants and scholarships available—check them out today!  

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Now that you know our two travel grant offers for studying abroad, as well as answers to commonly asked grants questions, we encourage you to check out our 200+ study abroad program offerings and find one that best suits your interests!