If you are hoping to study abroad in Costa Rica but currently lack the budget to do so, there are many scholarship opportunities available to help you accomplish your goal. Companies have a lot to gain from the perspectives of hardworking, creative students such as yourself, so they are often willing to offer financial rewards in exchange for your thoughts. In addition, cultural organizations and universities want to promote a love of learning, so if they can, they also seek to extend funding to students.
Here are a few scholarship search engines that will help you find the perfect scholarship:
One helpful website is ScholarshipPortal. Simply click Costa Rica from the drop-down bar on the homepage, and 50-100 prompts for varying amounts of money will greet you. Many are geared towards college students and require creative writing, so put your thinking cap on and find a prompt that suits you.
http://www.scholarshipportal.com/
Diversity Abroad could be another helpful website. It offers financial need grants and scholarships for students who meet one or more of the following criteria: low income, first generation student, African-American/Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, disabilities, Hispanic/Latino, LGBTQ, Multiracial, or Native American. Just check to make sure the prompt you choose applies to all countries or Costa Rica specifically.
http://www.diversityabroad.com/search/scholarships/costa-rica
FastWeb will help you find hundreds of scholarships both to study abroad and to help you through the regular school year. The site also has a tap called “Scholarship Tips” which lists several articles that will help your application stand out. They include, but are not limited to:
- Don’t meander. Take a strong, memorable position and stand by it, but be clear and concise.
- PROOFREAD! Misspellings or incorrect grammar and punctuation can automatically disqualify you—they show you did not put enough effort into your application
- Apply early and apply often. The more scholarships you apply for, the more likely you are to get one. And if you are lucky enough to get more than one, some scholarships can be used together, decreasing your expenses even further.
**This site only allows United States citizens to resister for their services.
https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/scholarships-for-studying-abroad
IIE is aimed specifically towards finding study abroad scholarships rather than scholarships in general. You can search based on field of study and country of study at the same time which will lead you to personalized scholarship results.
http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/
Go Overseas will also direct you towards some travel funds. The site contains many annual and biannual scholarships that may help you get to beautiful Costa Rica.
https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/65-study-abroad-grants-and-scholarships
Extra tips for how to find scholarship money, especially for college students (Tips from https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/65-study-abroad-grants-and-scholarships):
- Check with the government of the country you would like to go to—sometimes they offer scholarships or special programs.
- Visit your school’s financial aid office, study abroad office, and foreign language department to see if they can help you with funding or point you in the right direction
- Ask your advisor if there are any scholarships specific to your major
- Check with local Hispanic Heritage Groups
- Apply for federal financial aid, which can be used to study abroad, with the FASFA (https://fafsa.ed.gov/)
- Look offline too! There are often flyers or ads in the newspaper that offer scholarships. Because these are harder to come by, they will have fewer applicants, therefore increasing your chance of winning!
We look forward to seeing you in Costa Rica at CPI SPANISH IMMERSION!
