Affording a summer, semester or year abroad can be challenging for anyone! However, there are some financial resources for which you can apply. Below are a number of resources/links for UMF and outside scholarship funds.

There are several Study Abroad Scholarship Funds at the University of Maine at Farmington, their goal being to encourage students to immerse themselves in a foreign culture during the course of their studies at UMF.

Eligible applicants will be considered for a UMF Study Abroad Scholarship with candidates being selected on the basis of their academic record, financial need, program costs, and demonstration of the value of this program within their major. Scholarship applicants must file FAFSA and have a demonstrated financial need. Scholarships are awarded yearly each spring for upcoming participation the following academic year. All awards are posted as credit to the student’s UMF account.

Mark Bartholomew International Scholarship: Established at the University of Maine at Farmington in 1994 through the generosity of his family and friends. To qualify for this scholarship student must demonstrate financial need; have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and participate in one of UMF’s study abroad programs –  Semester in England, Semester in France, or Semester in China.

Gwilym R. Roberts Study Abroad: Established at the University of Maine at Farmington in 1995 with contributions from alumni and friends. To qualify for this scholarship student must demonstrate financial need and have a strong academic standing. This scholarship is not restricted to students participating in one of UMF’s study abroad programs. 

Albert St. Pierre Memorial Scholarship: Established at the University of Maine at Farmington in 2007 with a gift from Adele Saint Pierre (Class of 1998) in memory of her father. The fund shall be awarded annually to a UMF student who plans to study French in France or Quebec, Canada.

UMF Study Abroad Scholarship funds are not available to students from other campuses participating in a UMF study abroad program.

The UMF International Mitchell Scholarship: The University of Maine at Farmington and the Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute share a goal to increase the number of Mitchell Scholars participating in an international experience during their college career. 

To increase the number of Mitchell Scholars pursuing an international experience and to provide an additional incentive to persist in college, UMF has developed the UMF International Mitchell Scholarship. Available one time to UMF’s Mitchell Scholars in their junior or senior year, the $2,500 scholarship may be applied to any UMF-based international experience, including short courses in January, May or Summer terms and semester-long study abroad experiences.

No application is required. The scholarship will automatically be awarded to UMF Mitchell Scholars participating in eligible programs. Contact the Office of International Programs for more information.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program: -  Awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide. Such international  exchange is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

Online Gilman Scholarship Application Deadlines:  Spring programs-early October; Fall programs-mid-February.

Boren Scholarships: Provide up to $8,000 for the summer, $10,000 for the semester and $20,000 for the academic year to US undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.

UMF campus application deadline is early November. For more information contact UMF Boren Scholarship campus representative Linda Beck at linda.beck@maine.edu / 778-7341 / 106 Fusion Space, Campus.

Bridging Scholarships for Study Abroad in Japan: Awards of $2500/semester-$4000/year for American undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan. Funding from private foundations and major U.S. corporations, through donations to the nonprofit US-Japan Bridging Foundation, makes it possible to award about 100 scholarships each year to assist students with the travel and living expenses they will incur while studying abroad in Japan for a semester or an academic year. Applications are accepted twice a year for Bridging Scholarships. Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Japanese language study is not a prerequisite.  

CLS The Critical Language Scholarship Program: Fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning.

Foundation for Global Scholars: Awards to US citizens studying abroad are made three times annually. Scholarships are valued at $2000.

Fund for Education Abroad Awards: Approximately 30 varying scholarship awards for up to $10,000. January deadline for the following academic year.

George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship to Ireland: An annual exchange scholarship between the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, and Ireland's Department of Education & Science. The scholarship honors the Northern Ireland peace accord brokered by Senator Mitchell between the governments and peoples of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The accord was reached on Good Friday, April 10, 1998, and accepted by vote of the citizens of Ireland and Northern Ireland on May 22, 1998. The first Peace Scholarship exchanges took place during the 1999-2000 academic year.

The Peace Scholarship is an agreement between Maine and Ireland for a student exchange at the University level. During the academic year, students from Maine will be in residence in the city of Cork on the south coast of Ireland, at the University College Cork of the National University of Ireland. The University of Maine System will award two one-semester scholarships per year.

The scholarship covers tuition and fees for a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 15 credits per semester; housing in a UCC residence hall; a UCC partial meal stipend; UMS meal stipend of $1,000; UMS airfare stipend of $1,000; and a UMS textbook stipend of $200.

Deadline for applications to be received by committee chair is in early February. Refer to website for specific submission information, including deadline date.

IIEPassport Study Abroad Funding: Additional resources may be available through this directory.

Killam Fellowships Program: Provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in Canada and the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in the other country. Students may participate in the program either as a direct exchange student (registering at their home university, paying their home fees, and attending the host university as an exchange visitor) or as a self-placed visiting student (applying for and registering at the host university, and paying host tuition fees).

The Scholarship offers a cash award of $10,000 US ($5,000 US per semester), along with an allowance of $500 to offset health insurance costs. The Foundation hosts all new Killam Fellows at an Orientation program in Ottawa each fall and again at a seminar in Washington D.C. each spring. In addition, all Fellows are eligible to apply for a mobility grant in an amount not to exceed $800. The idea of the mobility initiative is to allow students to undertake an educational field trip, providing the Fellows with the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the culture of the host country.

UMF students can apply through the Open Competition. The next competition is for awards to be used during the 2020-2021 academic year (September 2020 / January 2021). That competition opens  in mid-September, 2019 with a deadline of late January/early February, 2020.