As part of our commitment to sending great students abroad, AFS-USA offers both need- and merit-based scholarships.
Scholarships allow us to extend the reach of our mission by:
- Enabling students to go abroad who otherwise could not
- Providing a tool for making new connections and increasing the visibility of AFS
Scholarships also help us…
- Attract and recognize high-caliber students
- Achieve organizational goals (longer and earlier)
- Support our partners abroad and contribute to network health (by encouraging flexibility)
Please see the Scholarships Page of the public website for specific application materials and deadlines for all AFS-USA scholarships (both National and Local). We have changed our Scholarship application process so that we ask all applicants interested in a Scholarship to submit one application that comprises of two parts. The application is called: AFS Study Abroad Scholarship Application.
The first part of the scholarship application is the submission of a FAST application (to determine level of need). The second part is the submission of a video that answers a few key questions and allows the judges to learn more about the applicant. Once the application is submitted, it is reviewed by a team of judges, and award amounts are determined. Instead of asking applicants to apply for specific scholarships (and ask them to identify themselves as either need or merit applicants), instead we ask them to submit one full application and our staff pair them with the best-suited scholarship(s) on our end. We feel that this gives us the maximum opportunity to apply scholarship dollars to all scholarship applicants.
Here is the description of the Scholarship provided to applicants:
Scholarship Description
AFS-USA scholarships are made possible by the generosity of numerous donors who all have a deep connection with AFS and value intercultural exchanges as necessary for the promotion of peace and justice in the world. Your application will be reviewed and matched with the most appropriate merit, need-based, geographic, etc. based scholarship, if available. Please note that scholarship awards are extremely limited and that submitting an application does not guarantee a scholarship award. Additionally, all scholarships are partial, and scholarship award amounts will be determined based on program length
Once you open a Scholarship Application, more information will be provided as a To-Do Item in your AFS Application.
Eligible Applicants are:
- Those who have completed the full application to any program (including paying the Program Deposit) and whose application will be transferred abroad.
- All applicants are asked to submit a short video that displays their personality, passion for contributing to the AFS mission, and motivation to study abroad.
Those who want to be considered for need-based scholarships must also include the submission of a FAST financial aid application.
If you have any questions or concerns about scholarships, please contact:
Adriana Miladinovic, Study Abroad Manager, Scholarships and Diversity Initiatives (amildinovic@afsusa.org)
Caitlin Schneider, Senior Director of Study Abroad (cschneider@afsusa.org)
For more information about scholarships, you can visit the scholarships FAQ page.
U.S. Department of State Sponsored Merit Scholarships
AFS also offers three full, merit-based scholarships that are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State:
- Youth Exchange and Study (YES Abroad)
- NSLI for Youth (NSLI-Y)
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)