It’s official! According to the 2014 to 2015 Office of International Education data, 52% of Georgia Tech B.S. graduates had an international experience! Georgia Tech has long been a leader in providing opportunities for students to experience other cultures, develop critical global competencies, and understand the global implications of their disciplines. The Office of International Education (OIE) spearheads Georgia Tech’s internationalization efforts. OIE is comprised of several work groups, including Education Abroad, the International Plan, the Global Internship Program, and International Student and Scholar Services, that offer opportunities for your student to add an international perspective to their education.

Often when thinking about studying abroad, there are many who think that it’s not possible for their student, because of the costs associated with studying abroad. In this issue of the ParentNews we’d like to address some of those concerns. Did you know that while studying abroad on a Georgia Tech program (exchanges abroad and faculty-led study abroad) that students take their financial aid with them? That means that scholarships (HOPE and Zell Miller), grants, and loans all apply towards their time abroad. Furthermore, out-of-state students pay the in-state tuition rate plus a $250 fee for most programs. The most notable exception to this is Georgia Tech-Lorraine where students pay a $3,500 fee.

OIE also administers scholarships (e.g.: the George Scholarship) that are solely intended to help students afford international study. The George International Study Abroad Scholarship is special in that students can apply for this award without knowing which program they plan to participate in or when they will go abroad. Furthermore, did you know that OIE awards nearly $250,000 in scholarships each year? Most of these scholarships give preference to students with need, but there are national study abroad scholarships available as well and these have different eligibility requirements. To find out more, please visit: http://oie.gatech.edu/ea-scholarships or email: scholarships@oie.gatech.edu for more information.

While we are excited to talk about scholarship and international opportunities with Georgia Tech, we’d rather let students tell you about how scholarships helped them to study abroad. Below are some student quotes about getting scholarships to study abroad.

Dionne

“The reward was a critical factor in my decision to study abroad in the Dominican Republic…While in the Dominican Republic I spent a month in the campo (rural, mountainous regions of the country) volunteering with Dominican employees, American nonprofit organization employees, and Peace Corps volunteers in various hospitals, clinics, and schools. There I interacted with countless Dominican and Haitian natives in an effort to help improve their living conditions and the overall sustainability of their small rural communities…As a biomedical engineering major, the experiences I encountered in the Dominican Republic were eye opening and life changing. I plan to focus my senior design project on an underserved population within the Caribbean in order to put my firsthand experience to use. I also hope to find employment with a company or organization that has the sole objective of engineering products for the underserved abroad.”

Ethan

This “generous scholarship has helped me study Mandarin at Tsinghua University in Beijing this semester. I am majoring in both computer engineering and Mandarin at Georgia Tech, and my last month at Tsinghua has not only already immensely improved my language skills, but has also allowed me to meet several of China's top engineering students. After I complete my bachelor's degree at Georgia Tech in 2016, I plan to pursue a master's degree focusing on network security. I hope to maintain the relationships I am forming with Chinese students here and continue to work with Chinese academia, either through collaboration or studying abroad again.”