Feb 16 / GEI

Financial Assistance

Introduction
Participating in a GEI program transforms lives, develops competencies as global change leaders, and improves employability. We have the strong desire to increase access to our programs and therefore commit more than $1 million in scholarships and grants over the next three years.

When you submit your program application, you will automatically be considered for the scholarships and grants for which you qualify, or you will be given the opportunity to apply.

The following GEI scholarships and grants are available:

Merit scholarships
Our programs are about developing competencies for future change leaders. If you believe that you already show great potential as a change leader, we may have a scholarship for you worth up to $500. Several dozen of these scholarships are available each year for the most promising future change leaders participating in one of our Certificate courses. The process is simple: Within one week of having been accepted to our program, we welcome your application in the form of an informal cover letter (no more than 500 words) that demonstrates your potential as a change leader.

Trailblazer scholarships
We cherish our relationships with our international institutional partners. As a result, applicants who are among the first two students from their home institution to ever attend a GEI Certificate course automatically receive a $500 scholarship each. No formal application is needed.

Opportunity scholarships and grants
Increasing access to our programs is particularly important for students from more economically disadvantaged parts of the world. To remove the big barriers to participation, we automatically consider students for the following awards relating to our Certificate courses:

  • Low- and lower-middle income economy scholarships: Applicants who are both citizens and residents of a low-income or a lower-middle income economy as per the current World Bank definition automatically receive a $500 scholarship relating to our Certificate courses. No formal application is needed. Contact us if you believe you qualify.
  • Host country scholarships: Applicants who are both citizens and residents of the host country of a particular Certificate course of ours (i.e., typically in either Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, or Vietnam) may be eligible for a scholarship of up to the full tuition, as long as we also have at least one matching foreign applicant for the same Certificate course. This scholarship is available for all Certificate courses, on a first-come, first-served basis. No formal application is needed. Contact us if you believe you qualify.
  • Host country travel subsidies: Applicants who are both citizens and residents of the host country of a particular Certificate course of ours and who have been awarded a host country scholarship may also be eligible for an additional host country travel subsidy to offset some of their logistics costs directly related to their course participation, such as local transportation. Contact us if you believe you qualify.


External (non-GEI) scholarships
Numerous external (non-GEI) scholarships and other funding opportunities are available, including, but not limited to, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, the Fund for Education Abroad, the Boren Awards for International Study, the Golden Key International Honour Society, or the Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant.

Other websites provide numerous additional funding opportunities, such as IEFA, Go Overseas, GoAbroad, Big Future by the College Board, CareerOneStop, Fast Web, Finaid, GoGrad, Niche, Peterson's, Scholarships, or Tuition Funding Sources.

Additionally, we strongly recommend talking to your home institution's financial aid office since they can provide you with additional information and ideas relating to your home university’s available financial aid and outside funding.