Scholarships in Madagascar
Where in the world is Madagascar?
If you’ve never heard of lemurs and spiny forests you better act fast and get yourself to Madagascar. The island, located just off the coast of Africa, is brilliant with flora and fauna and as noteworthy for their loss; typical for a country whose growth goes unchecked and unregulated in the twenty-first century. Like other rainforest and bio-sensitive regions of the world: you don’t know whatcha got ‘til it’s gone. Students will discover that many of the Madagascar programs being offered have an environmental or sustainable development flavor to them. At the same time, Malagasy folk are comprised of dozens of different ethnic groups, one more unique feature of this island-country.
Government Scholarships
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships offer undergraduates a splendid opportunity to take off and study in elusive spots around the globe, like Madagascar. In fact, you must be a Pell Grant recipient to even fill out an application, so no excuses about program cost. Students must also possess strong academic records and demonstrate motivation for challenging programs. Gilman Scholars are widely recognized for their awards, which may be as much as $5,000.
David L. Boren Scholars are like campus celebrities. This is how prestigious and competitive these awards have become. The scholarship for service program is designed to provide a highly trained next gen in national security, the goal of most Boren Scholars. Applicants may be either undergrads or grads and must be pursuing intensive language and culture programs in Madagascar and other far-flung places. Scholarships top out at $26,000.
Private Funds
Graduate students whose passion is rainforest ecology and conservation should not overlook either the smorgasbord of Malagasy biodiversity nor the Garden Club of America’s Awards in Tropical Botany that can help put you there. Applicants must be at the pinnacle of their field and highly motivated to effect change. GCA makes two monetary awards in the amount of $5,500.
Study Abroad Organizations
The School for International Training (SIT) is a world leader in providing top-notch study abroad programs. SIT’s cadre of international programs is constantly expanding to match increasing student demand for more challenging and innovative themes and locales. SIT offers two different programs in Madagascar. One is focused on environmental and biodiversity topics, while the other is tuned to people and culture. SIT makes it part of their business to offer participants access to various scholarships. Nearly three quarters of their program participants receive some sort of monetary assistance even if it’s a few hundred dollars:
- The Compton Fund is specially suited to students in one of the environmentally themed programs.
- Sally Bragg Baker Memorial Fund is named after a student who was killed, but whose spirit of multicultural collaboration and desire for peace lives on in a scholarship in her name. Applicants are chosen from among female students and for possessing similar characteristics to Sally’s.
- SIT Fund is the most widely disbursed assistance; it offers something for everyone.
- SIT Diversity Fund provides support to those students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad programs.
- HBCU Fund program is reserved for those SIT participants whose home institution is a Historically Black College.
College Scholarships
Michigan State University offers an immense study abroad program, much of which is open to students from around the country. The College of Natural Sciences program in Madagascar is designed for students in such majors and botany, biology, forestry and other sciences. The College of Natural Sciences offers students scholarships for this program. Awards range from $250 to $500.
