Scholarships for Bolivian Study
Engage in Arts, Language or Socio-Political Studies
Bolivia may offer students a number of enticing options. It is smack dab in the middle of the South American continent and strategically bounded by a handful of other SA countries that may also be accessible for students. The Andes run right through the middle of the country and dip down into green hills.
Bolivia is a hotbed for political and social studies. It is close to the poorest SA nation and the social system is anything but stable. Students pursue humanitarian studies, language and culture studies and participate in programs that examine the volatile mix of politics and drug trafficking.
Government Scholarships
The federal government’s push to diversify the next generation of global leaders comes in the form of the ubiquitous Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships. Underrepresented student populations and those with serious economic disadvantage now have the opportunity to engage in study abroad thanks to the extremely generous Gilman Scholarships. Eligible applicants must already be Pell Grant recipients, a trustworthy measurement of financial need, as well as academically motivated. Preference is given to minorities, community college and two-year students, disabled and those pursuing programs in engineering, the sciences, or math and computer studies. Up to $5,000 may be doled out to over 700 candidates.
Private Funds
Sigma Delta Pi, the Hispanic Honor Society, sponsors some very nice scholarships for students participating in studies in Bolivia and other parts of Spanish America. In concert with the Academia Latinoamerica de Espanol, Sigma Delta Pi makes sure eligible students have almost all their costs paid for. Scholarships include tuition costs and travel expenses. Eligible candidates may be undergraduates or graduates, student members of Sigma Delta Pi and possess excellent academic records in the major.
The School for International Training provides the program in Bolivia on Culture and Development. SIT is a leading study abroad organization that offers unique and innovative abroad programs and coordinates many facets of the process for all kinds of students. This particular study program allows students to experience for themselves a culture and social fabric that is rich in contrasts between the haves and the have-nots.
Three-quarters of all SIT participants are eligible for some level of scholarship funding:
- SIT Fund is the organization’s most general scholarship. Awards are based on academic merit and financial need.
- Compton Fund rewards those students who are participating in a program that focuses on “peace studies, or sustainable development themes.”
- Diversity Fund gives underrepresented students a chance to experience abroad study by providing generous scholarship support. Students must be from minority backgrounds and have both academic talent and financial need.
The Rotary scholarships are some of the most well known among college students, but they are also extremely competitive. Ambassadorial Scholarships are awarded to hundreds of students each year who are engaging in humanitarian or peace programs in non-traditional destinations. If your goal is a scholarship for Bolivia, you will have to go head to head with peers in areas of academics and program plan. Rotarians appreciate students who are able to put their best foot forward and make a good impression. Upon completion of their program, recipients of Rotary scholarships must make a presentation on their Bolivian experience to a Rotary audience.
College Scholarships
Temple University students are branching out and taking wing to increasingly non-traditional and remote destinations. TU is now able to afford to help fund many of their exciting excursions thanks to a sizeable grant from the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA). Students who are going to Bolivia may qualify for Global Scholarships, the flagship fund for abroad studies. Criteria include a GPA of at least 3.0 and demonstrated financial need. Awards may be as much as $5,000 depending on program, number of awards and student financial need. Scholarships exclude summer programs.
The creatively named Don Quixote Scholarships from the University of Richmond provide Spanish majors with a nice option for funding a study abroad program in Bolivia. Candidates are chosen from a pool of Latin American and Iberian Studies students. They are primarily rewarded based on academic merit in combination with their statements on career goals and how fitting the planned studies are in conjunction with their major. Over $1,000 awarded per student.
