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VCU Scholarships

EA scholarships

The Global Education Office offers a number of funding opportunities to encourage VCU students to pursue a portion of their academic studies abroad.  

The scholarship cycle for students studying abroad in the summer 2024 and fall 2024 is now closed. Scholarship applications were due February 10 and applicants have already been notified of their acceptance status.

The scholarship cycle for students studying abroad in the spring 2025 term will open in the summer and will be due October 2024. Students will be apply for these scholarships through the RAMS Scholarship HUB here, by searching for the individual scholarship name in the search bar.  Any questions about scholarship applications should be directed to abroad@vcu.edu.

To qualify for these scholarship, applicants must verify that they meet study abroad requirements set by the Global Education Office: be a degree seeking student at VCU with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater, be in good academic standing, be participating on a credit-bearing, approved study abroad program, and have registered their program with the Education Abroad Office prior to departure. Scholarships are available for students on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses only.

Please be aware that the receipt of any additional aid, including scholarships, may impact your financial aid package. Please refer here for more information.     

Scholarship recipients are strongly encouraged to share their experience abroad at a number of VCU Global Learning sponsored events upon return. 

Available in both the fall and spring scholarship cycles:
 
Presidential International Education Award (award estimate: between $500 to $1,000)
The Presidential International Education Award was established at VCU in 1988 to allow one or two students each year to have sufficient resources to study abroad for one or two semesters.  This award is open to full-time undergraduates in any major who demonstrate a commitment to international education, and is available to students participating in virtual programs as well.  

Airfare Voucher Award (award funds round trip airfare minus taxes and fees)
The Airfare Voucher Award was established on behalf of VCU students through the VCU Office of Procurement Services.  This award program uses miles the university accrues and donates them to students to support study abroad.  The award is open to undergraduate and graduate students in any major.

The L&L Friendship Fund (award estimate: $2,000)
The L&L Friendship Fund was established in 2023 through a generous gift  from an anonymous VCU alumnus and family whose passion for their personal study abroad experience inspired their desire to support participation among VCU students. The gift is intended to provide support to students with demonstrated financial need pursuing world-broadening experiences in the VCU Global Education Office (GEO).  Funds may be used for expenses associated with educational experiences abroad on a GEO-approved credit-bearing education abroad program. Applicants will be evaluated based on demonstrated financial need as determined by GEO.   

Available in the fall scholarship cycle only. For students studying abroad in the spring/spring break/winter break terms:

Randi Buerlein Scholarship (award estimate: $500)
The Randi Buerlein Service-Learning Scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University was established in 2013 upon the retirement of Ms. Randi Buerlein in honor of her commitment to international service-learning. Ms. Buerlein directed education abroad programs to the Dominican Republic and Ghana during her tenure as a faculty member in the School of Social Work.  This scholarship is designed to support VCU students who have demonstrated a commitment to community engagement through past participation in service-learning, or who have had significant community service involvement while at VCU and may be used for virtual or in-person programs.

Available in the spring scholarship cycle only. For students studying abroad in the summer or fall terms:

Fierro Family Italian American Cultural Association of Virginia Scholarship (award estimate: between $700 to $1,450)
The Fierro Family Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia Scholarship was established in 1996 by the Fierro family of Richmond and the Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia. The Fierro scholarship is awarded to meritorious full-time undergraduate, students on the Monroe Park Campus, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and demonstrated need. Preference will be given to students with demonstrated interest in Italian culture. Examples of demonstrated interest may include, but are not limited to, students’ coursework (particularly courses in Italian Studies), travel, volunteer opportunities, and membership/involvement in student and other Italian-related organizations.

Dorothy Meyers Wizer Study in Israel Scholarship (award estimate: $1,100) - not available in summer or fall 2024
The Dorothy Meyers Wizer Study in Israel Scholarship was established in 1999 and amended in 2022 to support student participation in academic credit bearing study abroad experiences in Israel. The scholarship will be awarded to undergraduate or graduate students with demonstrated academic merit and financial need, as determined by the VCU Global Education Office, who participate in an approved education abroad program where the primary country of study is Israel.

Available for students studying abroad in the summer term only:

The Summer Abroad Access Scholarship provides financial support to students facing difficulties covering study abroad expenses to prevent withdrawing from their approved study abroad programs.  The scholarship, funded through the VCU Student Life and Learning Fund generated from the Invest in Me campaign, helps students afford opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom through enriching, career-focused civic engagement, travel, mentoring, internships, field research and more. To be considered for the Summer Abroad Access Scholarship, students must already be approved for a study abroad experience and must demonstrate that the original funding intended to financially support their study abroad program is no longer available.

Applications are available in the Hub here on a rolling basis from April 1 to June 1 until all funding is awarded. Award maximum is $1,800.

 

VCU departmental scholarships

Other scholarships are provided to VCU students from various university schools and departments. Please review the full list of scholarships for more information. Many of these are only open one time per year, so planning ahead is always advisable.