Freeman-Asia Awards for Study in Asia
The primary goal of the Freeman-ASIA Program is to increase the number of American undergraduates who study in East and Southeast Asia by providing students with the information and financial assistance they will need. Awardees will be expected to share their experiences with their home campus to encourage study abroad by others, and to spread understanding of Asia in their home communities.
To be eligible for a Freeman-ASIA award, you must meet the following conditions:
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of application.
- Applicants must be currently enrolled as undergraduates in a U.S. college or university, be in good academic standing, and spend at least one semester at UK after completing the Freeman-Asia sponsored study abroad program.
- Applicants must currently receive financial aid or have verifiable need for financial assistance to study abroad in Asia.
- Priority will given to students with no previous experience in the Asian country in which they plan to study.
- Awards are available only to students who plan to study abroad in the following countries/regions: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. Applicants must have applied or have been accepted to a study abroad program in one of these countries; multi-country travel is permissible only in certain conditions (see website for details).
- Within three months after return from a study abroad program in Asia, awardees must fulfill a service requirement to promote study abroad in Asia on their home campus and share their knowledge with their community.
- UK's study abroad adviser must verify financial need and endorse a student's application before it is submitted to the Freeman-ASIA program.
The length of the study-abroad program determines the amount of the Freeman-Asia Award. For a summer program (minimum of four weeks abroad) the Award is $3,000, for a semester program, $5,000, and for an academic-year program, $7,000. If program costs are less than the Award amount (or covered by existing financial aid) students can use the Freeman-ASIA award to cover related expenses such as airfare, living costs, books, etc.
Applications are made online. In addition to the Financial Need Verification form (download and submit via postal service) that must be completed with the assistance of a Study Abroad advisor, applications include the following documents, none of which can exceed 500 words:
- Personal Statement explaining your motivation for studying abroad in Asia.
- A summary of any previous travel to East Asia or Southeast Asia.
- A description of your background in Asian Studies, including academic course work and independent study.
- A Service Proposal describing how you plan to fulfill your service requirement to encourage and educate others within your campus and community to study abroad in Asia and increase understanding of Asian cultures.
Applications must be submitted to the Freeman-ASIA program by the UK Office of External Scholarships and Study Abroad no later than October 21, 2005 for Spring semester study-abroad, late February or early March for Summer abroad, and late October or early November for Fall or Academic-Year abroad. Interested students are urged to contact Dr. David Bettez (dbettez@uky.edu) well before the formal deadlines, which are available seasonally on the Freeman-Asia website. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Awards are made on a rolling basis, so you may apply as early as you like.
For additional information about the awards and the application process, see http://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia/.
