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Monday, March 25, 2024

UC abroad program increases scholarship funding

The University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) recently announced a $1.5 million scholarship initiative that will affect all participating campuses, as the program enters its 50  year anniversary.

Funds for scholarships dedicated to the UCEAP will increase from $300,000 to $500,000 a year consecutively for the next three years. An intense growth in student enrollment within recent years has prompted the influx of funding to the program.

“As we enter our 50 anniversary year, there is no better way to translate our commitment to a vision of ‘study abroad for all’ than to provide scholarship opportunities that help as many UC students go abroad as possible,” said Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of UCEAP Jean-Xavier Guinard. “We recognize the financial obstacles brought about by the current state of the economy and the rising cost of higher education, and we remain dedicated to providing funding to UC students who face this new financial reality.”

UCEAP has been active since 1962 offering a summer or semester abroad option that includes 250 diverse programs taking place in 36 countries around the globe. So far the UC system has sent 76,000 students to foreign universities and in turn 24,000 international students have completed a non-degree study at a UC campus.

“Financial aid automatically carries over during your stay abroad and summer aid applies as well,” said senior wildlife, fish & conservation biology major and UC Davis Education Abroad Center student advisor Claire Woolf. “Obviously you need to budget for personal travel but it’s very doable.”

According to  Associate Director of the UC Davis Education Abroad Center Zachary Freiders, it has not been announced how the scholarship funds will be distributed.

“The funds are focused on students who wouldn’t normally do a study abroad program such as unrepresented majors and students with disabilities,” Freiders said.

UC Davis also offers unique study abroad opportunities to students within its community which include faculty-taught summer and quarter programs. Scholarships for these UC Davis specific programs range from $250 to $1,000.

UC Davis has 40 programs and the largest amount of international study opportunities and is the only UC with a quarter abroad option. Around 800 UC Davis students participate in the UC Davis faculty-led summer abroad program each year.

“It’s really challenging but it’s extremely rewarding because you experience things that you never would have experienced here culturally, academically and personally,” Woolf said , “It’s more than just moving to a new town, it’s moving to a new culture.”

For more information on UCEAP scholarships and opportunities visit their website at eap.ucop.edu .

MAX GARRITY RUSSER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

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