NC State Scholarships

Scholarships are open to degree-seeking NC State students who receive academic credit while abroad. Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply, but students are not eligible for scholarships if they will complete their degree program before participating on their study abroad program. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to retain their scholarships and must agree to complete any relevant scholarship requirements, if applicable.

You should apply for the scholarship cycle that aligns with the term when you will receive academic credit for your study abroad program. For most students, this is the same term that they are abroad. However, some students may earn credit in a different term than their travel abroad. 

For example, if you are traveling during the Summer but not earning credit until the Fall semester, then you must apply for the Fall scholarship cycle. If you are traveling in May for a Spring semester course, you need to apply to the Spring scholarship cycle. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) must be able to verify your course enrollment in order to process your award, which is why you need to apply for scholarships according to the term when you are receiving academic credit for your experience abroad. Awards are not transferrable to other academic terms if you apply to the incorrect cycle.

Yes, you can. We encourage all students to apply, even if you have not finalized your study abroad plans. Most of our scholarships are transferable to other programs, but they are not transferable across academic terms. If you decide to study abroad in a later term, you will need to reapply for scholarships.

Applying for a scholarship is not applying for a program. The scholarship application is separate from the program application, and you must have a committed program application in the PackAbroad system before an award can be posted to your student account.

Yes, as long as the student is receiving academic credit and is in degree-seeking status.

Please note that students participating on NC State-billed programs may benefit from their scholarships earlier, because awards posted to their student account can directly reduce their balance in MyPack Portal. Students on affiliate/third-party programs often have to wait longer for the funds to disburse at the beginning of the academic term of their program and should take this into account when budgeting.

Scholarships are not limited as to which expenses they can cover and comprise the vast majority of our funding. Travel awards only cover the estimated airfare and are currently only funded by the College of Engineering. COE students are eligible to receive both scholarships and travel awards via the study abroad scholarship application. Students should not apply separately through the regular EYE process, as they will be automatically considered for EYE funding when applying for study abroad scholarships.

No, the process is via PackAbroad, completely outside of Pack ASSIST. There may be additional relevant awards available to students through Pack ASSIST, however those would require separate applications.

FAFSA-based financial need is a primary consideration for most awards. Awards decided by campus committees, including the Chancellor’s Scholarship, will often use essay responses to determine selections.

See the scholarship directory for more information. The single largest funding source—the Study Abroad Greatest Needs Scholarship—does not require essays. However, it will never hurt your application to complete the essays, so we recommend that you submit them in order to give yourself the best possible chance of receiving an award.

The best essays give specific answers to the questions asked. Vague or confusing responses will result in lower scores. Consider that you are applying among hundreds of other students for limited funding and ask yourself “what sets me apart?” Explain how study abroad fits into your plan for your academic and professional future. Even if you are still deciding among multiple programs, it is best to write about your most likely program choice. A detailed and specific essay about a single program is more convincing than a generic and vague essay, and nearly all awards are transferrable if you decide to change your program choice later.

Yes, we offer virtual funding sessions throughout the academic year. Students that have open study abroad applications will be automatically notified of these sessions. These sessions do not require advance registration and will allow ample time for questions.