Study Abroad Programs

Study Abroad Scholarships

 

Students in Costa Rica 2023

Scholarships

Below, you'll read about scholarships offered by SMC and outside agencies. To be considered for the SMC scholarship, you must have filled out a FAFSA or CalDREAM application. If you intend to study abroad fill out your application as soon as possible. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office. 

 

FOR SMC SCHOLARSHIPS

Global Citizenship Scholarship 
The Global Citizenship (GC) Scholarship assists students toward the program cost based on financial need. This scholarship is part of your application to an SMC study abroad program, which means that when you're filling out an application to study abroad, you will be asked if you'd like to be considered for the scholarship.

The GC scholarship is made up of various funding sources, which include: 

- Art Verge Study Abroad Scholarship: Inspired by his love of people, cultures, and travel, Dr. Verge helped pioneer SMC's Study Abroad program, opening minds and the world of immersive travel to thousands of students during a four decade tenure teaching popular classes in California and Latin American history. In honor of his legacy, Art's Table and the Verge family in partnership with the SMC Foundation, established the Art Verge Study Abroad Scholarship in 2014, a commitment to helping shape future global citizens and offset the cost of travel for students participating in SMC's study abroad programs. 

- WorldStrides Scholarship: Through our partnership with WorldStrides, SMC receives funding it redirects to students to help them pay for their travels.

To be eligible to apply for the GC Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

    • Demonstrate financial need for the scholarship by having a finalized FAFSA or CalDREAM application on file with the Financial Aid office.
    • Be a full-time student as Santa Monica College enrolled in 12 units in the current semester, whether it is fall or spring, or a part-time at Santa Monica College student enrolled in a minimum of 6 units during the previous semester and 6 units during the current semester or 3 units in an intersession term (summer or winter) and 9 units in the current semester.
    • Be an Associated Students (A.S.) member.
    • Be in good disciplinary standing and academic standing.
    • Must have a minimum of 6 semester college credits completed at SMC or another U.S. college or university. If semester credits are completed at another college or university, please email your transcript from the school to studyabroad@smc.edu.
    • Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 for courses completed at SMC or another U.S. college or university. If your GPA is from another college or university, please email your transcript from the school to studyabroad@smc.edu.

Students who receive a scholarship will be notified via their SMC email and will need to confirm their acceptance of the scholarship. Upon returning from their trip abroad, scholarship recipients will also be asked to complete a post-study abroad assignment (e.g., a short essay about their time abroad, speaking about their time abroad at an informational study abroad session). 

SMC Foundation Scholarships

Although not study abroad specific, the SMC Foundation awards annual scholarships that range from $250- $50,000.

General eligibility guidelines include:

  • Enrollment: Open to continuing and transfer students enrolled part--time (6+ units) or full-time (12+ units).
  • GPA Requirement: Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA required.
  • Financial Need: Open to all students; criteria vary by specific scholarship (some require financial need, others do not).
  • Exclusions: Applicants who have already completed an undergraduate, graduate, or terminal degree are not eligible.

The application for 2027-2028 SMC Scholarships will open January 2027 for current SMC student and March 2027 for incoming first-year students.

FOR OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS

  1. Fastweb.com is a free online database that connects students to over 1.5 million vetted scholarships, grants, and financial aid resources. How to use it:
    1. Search Dedicated Directories: Filter matches through Fastweb's study abroad category to discover major awards alongside specialized travel grants.
    2. Match Target Niche Criteria: Narrow opportunities by field of study, destination, or personal background (e.g., first-generation or underrepresented groups) to access less competitive awards.    
  2. Fund for Education Abroad Scholarships: Open to U.S. citizen, permanent resident and DACA undergraduate students who are receiving the Federal Pell Grant (multiple scholarships available)
    • Awards up to $5,000
    • Deadline: The application is closed for Winter/Spring 2027; however, they offer additional funding resources. For Summer/Fall 2027 study abroad scholarships, the application opens Fall 2026.
  3. Gilman Scholarship: Open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving the Federal Pell Grant
    • Awards up to $5,000
    • Deadline: October 1, 2026
  4. Gilman-McCain Scholarship: Open to U. S. citizen undergraduate students who are children or the spouse of active or activated United States military personnel during the time of the application
    • Awards up to $5,000
    • Deadline: October 1, 2026
  5. Lewer Mark Student Insurance: Open to all full-time international students who are active F, J, M, U, T, R, A, or Q visa-holders and DACA recipients currently enrolled in a SEVIS-approved US institution.
    • Awards $3,000
    • Deadline: November 26, 2026
  6. Scholarships.com is a free search engine that uses customized profiles to match students with financial aid opportunities. How it works:
    1. Profile Setup: Enter your GPA, major, background, and location.
    2. Automated Matching: The site filters millions of awards against your specific criteria.
    3. Custom Dashboard: Access eligible scholarships complete with deadlines, amounts, and essay prompts.
    4. Direct Application: Links take you directly to provider application portals.

You can use Scholarships.com to fund study abroad by filtering its database through dedicated study abroad scholarship listings for major national awards, provider grants, and private foundation funds. We recommend that search by target country (e.g., East Asia, Europe) or identity factors (first-generation, underrepresented backgrounds) to uncover less competitive niche options.

7. WorldStrides Custom Programs Scholarship: Open to all students participating in an SMC study abroad program

    • Awards up to $3,000
    • Deadlines:
      • Spring departure: January 1 - April 31 → November 15 deadline
      • Summer departure: May 1 - August 30 → March 15 deadline
      • Fall departure: September 1 - December 31 → July 15 deadline

Students enjoying a meal in Costa Rica 2023

Funding Your Travels

FundMy Travel is a fundraising website for studying abroad.

Download this guide for fundraising ideas.