KU SAGE Merit and Financial Need Scholarship
KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement (SAGE) Merit and Financial Need Scholarships are open to degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate students at the University of Kansas.
Students can apply for both financial need and merit scholarships during terms when both are available, but they will be awarded either a financial need scholarship or a merit scholarship.
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For Fall, Spring, and Academic Year study abroad program applicants, SAGE has both financial need and merit scholarships.
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For Winter Break, Spring Break, and Summer study abroad program applicants, SAGE only has financial need scholarships.
To receive a financial need scholarship, U.S. citizens and permanent residents must have the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filed when they apply for the scholarship. They are also required to have the FAFSA filed when they receive the scholarship. (The FAFSA is filed once per year and covers the full academic year, Fall-Summer.)
Financial need scholarships are very competitive.
Merit scholarships are very competitive and are awarded on academic merit as determined by GPA (minimum 3.5) and a Personal Statement essay. Students do not need to have a FAFSA filed to receive a merit scholarship.
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For merit scholarships, successful applicants will submit a Personal Statement essay that outlines their academic, professional, and personal goals for studying abroad and clearly connects their chosen study abroad program to these goals.
Late applications will not be considered. Be sure to start your application early and complete it by the stated deadlines below. Click on the "Apply Now" button at the top of this page to apply.
| Term of Study |
Scholarship amounts |
Deadline |
Notification |
Summer
(Financial Need ONLY) |
$500-$1,500 |
February 15 |
March 1 |
| Academic Year |
$4,000-$5,000 |
March 1 |
March 15 (Need)
April 1 (Merit) |
| Fall Semester |
$2,000-$3,000 |
March 1 |
March 15 (Need)
April 1 (Merit) |
| Spring Semester |
$2,000-$3,000 |
October 1 |
October 15 (Need)
October 31 (Merit) |
Winter Break
(Financial Need ONLY) |
$500-$1,500 |
October 1 |
October 15 |
Spring Break
(Financial Need ONLY) |
$500-$1,500 |
October 1 |
October 15 |
Application Procedures
Applicants who have not begun an application in JayhawksAbroad for a study abroad program for the term for which they are applying for a scholarship will not be eligible to receive a scholarship.
Applicants will be required to submit the following items after they click the “Apply Now” button at the top of this page:
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This questionnaire includes a Financial Need Statement, which is optional for students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are applying for a financial need scholarship. It is required that international students complete this statement. The Financial Need Statement includes the following prompt:
Follow-Up Requirements
Many of the funds to support KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement Scholarships come from donors. Students who are awarded a scholarship from a donor may be asked to write a thank you letter to the donor that includes information about their study abroad program and academic goals.
Additionally, scholarship award recipients will be required to complete a study abroad outreach service requirement. The requirement can be completed abroad or upon return from the study abroad program and will include assisting SAGE with outreach and promotions. Examples of ways to fulfill this service requirement include: creating 2-3 Instagram posts with captions and at least 10 images each, submitting at least 20 high resolution photos from the study abroad experience, and submitting 4-5 high-quality videos from the student’s time abroad.
Students will be notified of any scholarship requirements in their award email.
