I4I Scholarships

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The Illinois for Illinois (I4I) Scholarships are available to all University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate students studying abroad on pre-approved programs. The funding for this scholarship is provided by a student-initiated fee.

Scholarship application deadlines often fall before or on the same day as the program application deadline. Be sure to research and apply for scholarships as early in the process as possible.

Application Cycles

The Fall Cycle provides scholarships for Winter Break and Spring Semester, as well as early apply options for Spring Break and Summer programs. The application opens in early July and is due on September 15.

The Spring Cycle provides scholarships for Spring Break, Summer, Fall Semester, and Academic Year Study Abroad Programs, as well as an early apply option for Winter Break programs. The application opens in early December and is due on February 15.

Students can apply up to three cycles early for an I4I scholarship. For example, if you want to study abraod in Spring 2024, you will have three opportunities to apply: Fall 2022 cycle, Spring 2023 cycle and Fall 2023 cycle

Special note: Students applying to a Spring program with an Early Action Deadline can still apply for the I4I scholarship, but will not receive award notifications until mid-to-late october.

Scholarship Categories

The I4I is awarded in three different categories: General Merit, Financial Need, and Underrepresented. Students traveling to non-traditional locations receive some special consideration. Students can be considered in all of the categories for which they are eligible, but may only receive an award in one category.

Half of the available funding is awarded in the financial need category. The scholarship committee uses FAFSA information and a budget statement on the application to determine financial need.
A third of the available funding is awarded in the underrepresented category. The underrepresented categories include: 1) First Generation Student (neither parent graduated from a four-year institution with a degree); 2) Traditionally underrepresented minority (Latinx, Black, Native American, or Pacific Islander); 3) Students with a physical or sensory disability registered with DRES on campus.
The remaining funding is awarded in the general merit category. All applications are automatically considered for an award in this category.

Scholarship Amounts

Short-Term (Winter Break, Spring Break, or Summer): $1,000
Summer (must be full time, 6-12 returned credits): $2,000
Semester (Fall or Spring): $3,000
Academic Year: $5,000

Eligibility

To be eligible for an I4I Scholarship, you must:

Be a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student (international degree-seeking students ARE eligible for most scholarships);
Meet the academic requirements of your college to be eligible to study abroad;
Identify a study abroad program that is approved by the university, to which you intend to apply or have already applied

Apply

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the scholarship committee determine who receives an award?

Rating is based primarily on two short scholarship essays. The committee wants to see that you have have thought through the decision to study abroad and how it will benefit your goals. Each application is reviewed and scored by two separate committee members.

May I apply to the I4I Scholarship multiple times?

You may apply for the I4I Scholarship as many times as you wish. You can also apply for multiple programs each cycle by filling out separate applications (for example, if you are applying in the Fall Cycle, you can submit applications for both a Winter Break Program and a Spring Semester Program). However, you can only be awarded one I4I scholarship per application cycle.

When will notifications be sent for the I4I scholarships?

Notifications will be sent out approximately three to four weeks after the application closes.

I applied for an I4I Scholarship but did not receive one. Why?

Many qualified students apply each cycle, however, funding is limited. The Study Abroad Scholarship Committee evaluates applications based on a variety of factors, including: the amount of financial need a student has; the overall quality of the essay responses and the student's ability to articulate how studying abroad complements their goals; and the distribution of scholarship awards across colleges, majors, genders, underrepresented populations, strategic destinations, and other variables. Please note: due to the large number of applications received, the Committee is unable to offer detailed explanations of individual award decisions.

I was notified that I received an I4I Scholarship. How and when will I receive the scholarship payment?

Awards are disbursed through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Your award will be applied to your student account no sooner than ten days prior to the start of your study abroad term.

Payments to Foreign Nationals take longer to process, so they may be payed a bit later.

I was awarded an I4I Scholarship, but I withdrew from or changed my program. What should I do?

If you are selected to receive a study abroad scholarship and you withdraw from your study abroad program before the start of the program, you will be required to return the full amount of the scholarship. If you withdraw after beginning the program, you may petition to keep a portion of the scholarship to help defray costs incurred on the program. If for any reason, you change to a program that was not the one for which the scholarship was awarded, the scholarship coordinator will consider the following factors to determine if the scholarship may still be awarded: 1) the reason for changing programs and 2) the intent of the scholarship application essay. It is your responsibility to notify the Illinois International Finance if your study plans change, and to provide a rationale describing how the new study abroad program aligns with the statement of goals expressed in your scholarship application essay.

Scholarship Process

Drafting Your Application

The National and International Scholarships Program is available to assist you in revising applications for regionally or nationally competitive study abroad scholarships.

If you are applying for a scholarship consult the Writers Workshop and/or asking a peer to review your work. For those unavailable to meet face-to-face with the Writers Workshop, consider participating in their online synchronous tutoring service.