Scholarship Options for the Dominican Republic
Try the Island Lifestyle
The Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola Island with Haiti. Both nations have long histories stitched with slavery, uprisings and general political, social and economic instability punctuated with violence. Unfortunately for these peoples, occasions such as these are often the only images the international community knows and remembers.
While Haiti continues to be plagued with problems, the Dominican Republic provides an alternative Caribbean environment in which foreigners are welcomed and the social fabric is much less sketchy and unpredictable. In some respects one might not even realize the two countries share the same geographic spit of land. Outside of study abroad opportunities the Dominican Republic is known for its beauty, from mountain to coastline.
Scholarship Programs
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships have already provided an awesome number of undergraduate students with unprecedented study abroad opportunities. Applicants are encouraged to apply if they are Pell Grant recipients and seeking challenging destinations. Over 700 Gilman Scholars are given up to $7,000 each year to study in such intriguing countries as the Dominican Republic.
The David L. Boren Scholarships program, funded by the National Security Education Program, is designed as a scholarship for service, one for one scheme. Recipients spend a year working for the government in return for a year of up to $25,000 in scholarship money. Applicants are considered for proposed program scope and focus. Eligible applicants must be heading off to a non-traditional country may be studying language and culture or a program in needed fields such as law, education, business or the sciences and technology.
The Dominican Republic is renowned for its tropical rainforests and for this reason attracts those students whose research and majors are in botany, ecology and sustainable development. The Garden Club of America is not only active locally, but also provides very generous scholarships and fellowships. The GCA Awards in Tropical Botany offers graduate students the chance to work abroad in a tropical rainforest location, including the Dominican Republic. Eligible applicants compete for up to $5,500 for a year abroad.
International Studies Abroad (ISA) is a premier study abroad organization. The organization administers the Carlos Castañeda Memorial Scholarship. Applicants who are enrolled at a college or university that is affiliated with ISA may be eligible for up to $2,500 for a study abroad program in the Dominican Republic or any of a number of countries within the Caribbean or Latin American region.
The Conference on Latin American History (CLAH) administers fellowships and scholarships that build the scholastic and professional bunker of specialists in Latin American studies, which is often inclusive of the Dominican Republic. CLAH’s James R. Scobie Memorial Award for Preliminary Ph.D. Research pretty much speaks for itself. Eligible applicants must be in a position to do the research necessary for their dissertation. They must have a need to work on site in the Dominican Republic, but the term of stay must be limited to qualify for this particular award. Up to $1,000 is awarded.
The Organization of American States oversees a consortium of member countries, including the Dominican Republic. The organization is focused on collaborative exchange and U.S. students enrolled in participating colleges and universities may be eligible for fellowships. Applications are accepted from undergraduate and graduate students. Consideration of applicant’s economic status figures in award amounts.
Love the sea? If you are a marine biology, oceanography or related major, you could find yourself studying first-hand the diverse ecology of the Caribbean on board a ship for the Sea Semester. The unique in situ curriculum is the brainchild of Sea Education Association (SEA) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Participants study a number of ocean regions, including the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic. SEA is not for everyone and the program is costly. In order to allow highly talented students even those whose financial resources are spent, SEA provides scholarships to quite a number of their applicants based on a combination of academic record and financial need.
