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The Cranshaw & Piper Scholarships

The Cranshaw Scholarship was established by Robert MacDonald of London in 1981 with the express purpose of advancing U.S.-U.K. understanding and relations. Mr. MacDonald is the father-in-law of Dan Harris, 51ÊÓƵ Class of 1970. Funded by the Cranshaw Corporation of New York, the Cranshaw Scholarship awards up to $25,000 toward the cost of a full year of university study in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).

The Vernon W. Piper Scholarship was established at the Westminster Churchill Library by Vernon W. and Marian K. Piper of St. Louis. Mr. Piper was a Fellow of the Memorial and served on its Board of Governors. Piper awards facilitate study for one or two semesters at European institutions of higher education, with individual awards of $5,000 or more in a typical year.

The application for both scholarships is typically available by October and due in November. Complete applications include: signed application forms, a resume, a personal essay, an unofficial transcript, two professor recommendations, and (for the Piper only) a statement of program cost.

The Cranshaw and Piper Scholarships are awarded by a selection committee comprising Westminster faculty and staff members under the auspices of the Office of Global Education Services. Candidates must be sophomores or juniors when they apply and hold a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale.

External Scholarships

Scholarships for study abroad come in a variety of shapes and sizes from a variety of sources. The opportunities below are meant to serve as a starting point for your search rather than a comprehensive list.

• Merit-based: These awards are based on a student's academic, artistic, athletic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant's extracurricular activities and community service record. It's important to note that qualifications will vary based on the particular scholarship.
• Student-specific: These are scholarships for applicants who initially qualify based on factors such as gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors. Minority scholarships are the most common awards in this category, but qualifications will vary based on the particular scholarship.
• Destination-specific: These are scholarships awarded by a country to students planning to pursue a study abroad program in that particular country. They are awarded as an incentive to study in that country instead of elsewhere. Check with government-sponsored travel websites of the country where you wish to study to see what scholarships are available.
• Program-specific: Program-specific scholarships are offered to qualified applicants by individual study abroad programs and/or the institutions where they are accredited or housed. These scholarships are often awarded on the basis of academic and personal achievement, but qualifications will vary. Check with your study abroad program or host university to see what scholarships may be available.
• Subject-specific: Subject-specific scholarships are awarded by study abroad programs or institutions based on an applicant’s particular major, field of study, language of study, or career path. These scholarships vary, but may require recipients to enroll in subject-specific courses or conduct subject-specific research while abroad.

AIFS Abroad: AIFS Abroad offers several competitive scholarships specifically for studying or interning on one of their programs. They also offer stackable grants, which eligible applicants are automatically considered for upon submitting their AIFS program application. 

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship: Undergraduate college students who are receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application, or who will be receiving a Federal Pell Grant during the study abroad period, are eligible to apply for the Gilman Scholarship. This award of up to $5,000 can be used toward tuition, room & board, books, airfare, and other eligible study abroad program expenses. 

Critical Language Scholarship: The CLS Program is open to undergraduate U.S. citizens or nationals and fully funds intensive summer programs focused on languages deemed essential to U.S. global engagement and diplomacy. Awards for certain languages require prior study, while others accept absolute beginners. 

David L. Boren Scholarship: The highly competitive and prestigious Boren Scholarship is for U.S. citizens enrolled as undergraduates in a U.S. college or university proposing to intensively study a foreign language and culture overseas that is underrepresented and/or of critical strategic interest to the United States. For most of these languages, no prior experience or proficiency is required. Award amounts range up to $25,000, and recipients must commit to a minimum of one year of service with the U.S. federal government following graduation. Applications open in fall and close late January. Westminster has a campus deadline a few weeks in advance, giving each applicant time to receive feedback and make revisions before the national deadline. 

Freeman-ASIA Scholarship: Freeman Awards for Study in Asia are open to U.S.-citizen or permanent-resident undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Award funds can be applied toward study abroad in an East or Southeast Asian country and come with a service requirement component. The goal of Freeman-ASIA is to improve the understanding of Asian peoples and cultures. 

Fund for Education Abroad: With one application, FEA considers applicants for all scholarships for which they are eligible. Their focus is on supporting students with financial need and those who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients may apply. 

IES Abroad: Students interested in participating in an IES Abroad program can apply for aid in advance and get an award figure within five business days. The IES website also includes links to external scholarships that may be applied to their programs. 

Institute for International Education: IIE is a global non-profit and the first private organization to facilitate international exchanges. IIE manages more than 200 programs and offers various funding opportunities for study abroad, internships, professional development, and more. 

Japan Bridging Scholarship: The U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation awards stipends to U.S.-citizen undergraduates who will study abroad in Japan for a semester ($2,500) or academic year ($4,500). 

Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship: The U.S.-Japan Council’s Watanabe Scholarship helps fund single-semester or year-long study abroad in Japan for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with demonstrated financial need. 

USA Study Abroad: This Department of State program helps students discover study abroad opportunities offered by the U.S. government as well programs offered by foreign governments around the world. 

WorldStrides: After applying to a WorldStrides program, applicants gain access to a student portal with links to various scholarship and grant opportunities. The WorldStrides funding webpage also lists relevant scholarships offered by host universities and external organizations. 

Scholarship Recipients