Scholarship Awards for Hungary
Leave the States for College
Only a few decades ago Hungary was still hard fastened under Soviet rule. Students of international policy or economics have the opportunity to analyze the transition from such an oppressed environment to one that may have too swiftly swapped itself for one aspiring to a free market. Now, Hungary’s economic and social situation is responding to appropriate corrections. Where changes have taken place too rapidly and where vacuums in government and leadership have remained there is a new caving-in of reform measures, instructing us that responsible and permanent change comes slowly.
Study Abroad Organizations
American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) provides study abroad programs at a handful of international destinations, including Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary. Here students may study in courses taught in English and across an interdisciplinary spectrum.
- The AIFS Study Abroad Scholarships may provide rather generous funds for those who demonstrate both academic motivation and financial need. Eligible applicants are also expected to show involvement in international clubs or activities.
- The Diversity Scholarships are doled out to those students who are most underrepresented in the study abroad arena. One full ride is awarded and three-$2,000 Minority Scholarships are given as well.
Private Funding
The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) is an internationally recognized organization whose main mission is providing various levels and types of support for scholars and professionals working in the field of international and foreign policy. IREX encourages fresh networks of multicultural exchange and cutting edge communications that make a better world. Besides a handful of research grants and fellowships for study in post-Soviet Eurasian countries, IREX also provides Short-Term Travel Fellowships. Many high level scholarly funds provide for long-term abroad programs, so thankfully this IREX fund makes $5,000 awards available for those whose on site requirement is only a couple of months.
The National Endowment for the Humanities Research Program is administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the NEH. Eligible candidates for the program must be pursuing a research project in the humanities in Hungary or another Eastern or Central European country. Only those in post-graduate or post-doctoral situations are considered and applicants must have a working knowledge of the country’s language. Up to $40,000 is awarded for a year of study.
Rotary International is known the world around for its charitable good deeds. No less well known are its generous scholarships. The Ambassadorial Scholarships are given out to over a hundred carefully selected applicants each year. Eligible candidates must represent the Rotary well. Preference is given to those pursuing humanitarian programs and sustainable development studies in Hungary or a few dozen other Rotary-eligible countries. Awards are $26,000 for an academic year.
College Scholarships
The University of Minnesota has forged a valuable exchange partnership with a number of Eastern European or Eurasian countries, including Hungary, through the Alexander Dubcek Fund. The program provides various levels of monetary assistance to both UMN students as well as those from partner countries. Students from UMN or Hungary may qualify for up to $2,000 in scholarship money for a term abroad or, for Hungarian students, at UMN.
Michigan State University’s “Democratization and Economic Transition in Eastern Europe” engages political science and international studies majors in a summer study abroad program that spans Hungary, Turkey and Romania all closely related in geographic location as well as in social and economic climates. While the program is open to students from outside institutions only MSU students may qualify for MSU scholarships:
- Randall Smith/M. Richard Zinman Award for Study Abroad goes to outstanding majors in the James Madison College (sponsor of this program) who will benefit from one of the college’s study abroad programs, such as the program in Hungary. Awards are $1,000.
- MSU Credit Union Scholarships are the most widely awarded and generous. Up to $1,000 for a summer program is available for those who demonstrate balance of academic merit and financial need.
- Forest Akers Scholarships are given to those study abroad participants who may not be able to afford the program without the necessary funds. Awards are $500.
