Financing Study Abroad

Student usually pay for their programs through a combination of resources, including financial aid and scholarships. The following handout provides more information regarding financial considerations for our academic programs.

Financing Study Abroad

Scholarships

The Rinker Center has scholarship funds for Ball State-approved study abroad. Each scholarship has its own eligibility criteria. Please see the list of scholarships below for eligibility information. All scholarships use the same online application.

Please note, the application below is applicable to all Rinker Center Sponsored Scholarships. Only one completed application is required to be eligible for all Rinker Center Scholarships, you do not need to complete a separate application for each scholarship.

Two scholarships do require additional components:

  • Keep it 100: requires an additional essay. Essay: "Explain how self-awareness would be a benefit to interacting and embracing other cultures, and how has being self-aware impacted your life?" 1 page maximum.
  • Helen Jane Martin Memorial Scholarship: Member of Ball State varsity athletics team. Preference will be given to female student-athletes. If no eligible female student-athletes apply in a given year, then next preference will be given to male student-athletes. If eligible for this scholarship, please indicate your interest by selecting YES on the scholarship application and submitting a completed Pre-Certification Approval Form with your study abroad scholarship application.

Upon completion of your program, you are required to provide our office with a short 1-page statement of appreciation for the funding the donor provided for you, and how the experience impacted you. We will share these testimonials with our donors so they can hear from you directly how the experience benefited you. These thank you letters are submitted online within the study abroad scholarship application. No other commitment is required; it just goes a long way towards ensuring that future students can have an experience similar to you.

Scholarship Application

Application Deadline

  • For fall, summer, and full-year programs – March 1
  • For winter break, spring, and spring break programs – Oct. 1

 

Please click HERE to see a list of Rinker Center Administered Scholarships.

If you received a Ball State scholarship, such as the Presidential or Whitinger Scholarship, you can usually apply that aid to an approved study-abroad program.

Always check with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to confirm the dollar amount. The value of your reward may be affected by the program you select and the number of credit hours you take. For example, if you have a full ride at Ball State, do not assume that all of your costs are covered.

Ball State institutional aid may not apply to non-Ball State sponsored programs.

KIIS Study Abroad Scholarships

For students who select a Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS) program, several program-specific scholarships are available.

Each summer, winter, and semester program has one scholarship award:

  • summer programs – $600
  • winter programs – $300
  • fall programs – $750
  • spring programs – $750

Ball State also awards one BSU-KIIS scholarship each term. To apply, be sure to complete the Rinker Center Scholarship Application.

Learn more about KIIS scholarships and deadlines.   

AIFS Scholarships

Learn more about AIFS scholarships and deadlines. 

Gilman Scholarship

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program supports undergraduate students who are receiving federal Pell Grants and who intend to study in another country for any period of time.

Interested students should contact Ball State's director of international scholarships.

National/International Scholarships and Fellowships 

Ball State students are eligible to apply for any number of competitive international scholarships and fellowships.

Generally a grade point average of at least 3.7 is recommended.

Speak with your department and college to see if they offer any scholarships for students studying abroad.

Learn more about National/International Scholarships and Fellowships. 

 

Alumni Fund for Study Abroad

The Alumni Fund for Study Abroad was established in 2018 by alumna Kelly Kirkwood (BUPD '01, MA '06, EdD '15) as a seed fund for continued study abroad scholarship development. In recognition that study abroad is often the most transformational part of a student's college experience, this fund provides study abroad alumni a place to "pay it forward" to future program participants. Donations to the fund honor the impact study abroad has made on donors' own career and personal development, while expanding access to these life-changing opportunities for future generations and Cardinals.

Dollar Scholarship

This fund was established in memory of Alexander M. Dollar, Jean R. Dollar, and Cathlin E. Dollar. Mel and Jean were longtime residents of Laguna Woods, California, and lived until they were 90 and 87, respectively. Mel and Jean were struck with tragedy when they lost their only daughter, Cathlin E. Dollar, to cancer in October of 2010. Their passion was in education; thus they wanted the schools to be the beneficiaries of the small estate they had accumulated. Cathlin had earned a master of arts degree from Ball State in 1974. 

Fox-Williams Scholarship 

Funds to establish the scholarship were contributed by Dr. Thomas A. Sargent and his children, Sarah B. Sargent and Andrew F. Sargent, from Muncie, Indiana. This fund was created to honor the memory of Sarah and Andrew's grandfather, Captain Jack Fox-Williams, late, of London, England. Throughout his life Capt. Fox-Williams worked to promote strong ties between Britain and the United States. He was a loyal British subject who lived in America for several years, married an American, and visited this country often.

"Keep it 100" Scholarship

Paul Hendrickson grew up in Indianapolis where he spent his days playing baseball, basketball, and just about any other sport that involved a ball.  This passion of sport was mainly an attempt to avoid spending time with his three older sisters due to his early fear of cooties.  A successful youth baseball career propelled Paul to the varsity baseball team at Carmel High School where in one season, he earned the unofficial title of "Worst pitcher of all time."  In the one game Paul started he did not make it out of the first inning and for reasons he still can't explain today, he was somehow allowed back in the game around the 4th inning where he was subsequently shelled again.  The real loser in all of this was Paul's poor parents, who had to endure public shame and humiliation while helplessly sitting in the stands as the other parents slowly inched away from them.

Paul attended Ball State from 2000-2004 and graduated with a degree in Journalism.  He thoroughly enjoyed Greek life while on campus.  He also attended the London Center in the Fall of 2002 which he acknowledges as "done changed the game."  Since graduation, Paul has worked his way up at Medtronic Spine and Biologics selling and consulting on spinal surgeries. 

Paul spends his free time traveling, golfing, supporting the Indiana Pacers, and striving to appreciate the world around him.  He has a passion for coffee and music but his pants are not tight enough to be considered a true hipster.

Helen Jane Martin Memorial Scholarship 

For 18 years, Helen Martin oversaw Ball State sports equipment as the cage manager of Ball Gym, until her retirement in 1988. Between the organizing and mending, Helen stitched herself into the lives of coaches, many students, and the very fabric of Ball State. Known as the “Grandmother of Ball State Athletics,” Helen attended many athletic events and outfitted hundreds of student-athletes with encouragement to achieve their best on the court and in life. She added love and light to the lives of those around her until her passing in December 2014 at the age of 91. Her legacy of loveable orneriness and positive spirit lives on through those who remember her and will also continue on through the Helen Jane Martin Memorial Scholarship. In her honor this scholarship will be given annually to support a female student-athlete who participates in a BSU-affiliated study abroad program. 

The Pierce Scholarship Fund 

Tina Pierce is a 1987 Ball State graduate (B.S. Finance).  During Tina’s last two years at the university, she was a recipient of the Frank B. Bernard Scholarship.  The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize the many members of her family who contributed to her education and several family members who are Ball State alumni, as well as an opportunity to give back to the university.

After graduating from Ball State, Tina joined Honeywell and has worked in three of the four Honeywell strategic business groups, including Aerospace, Automation and Control Solutions (ACS), and Performance Materials. She is currently the Vice President of Finance Transformation for Honeywell.   Prior to this role, she was the Vice President & CFO for UOP LLC in Des Plaines, Illinois. Since joining Honeywell, Tina has held a number of leadership roles of increasing responsibility within Finance including a 2.5 year assignment as the director of Asia Pacific Financial Planning and Analysis based in Hong Kong & Singapore.

Tina earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Ball State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Florida State University. Tina is a Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) and Certified Management Accountant (C.M.A.).  In 2011, she completed the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Executive Scholar Program and in 2012 she received the Miller College of Business Award of Achievement.

In her spare time, Tina enjoys traveling and competing in triathlons.  In 2013, she completed the Steelhead Half Ironman 70.3 in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Rinker Scholarship

Marshall Edison “Doc” Rinker Sr. (1904-1996) was born in Cowan, Indiana, where he grew up on his family’s farm. He attended Ball State Teachers College, now Ball State University, in Indiana. In 1926, Rinker moved to Palm Beach County and started Rinker Rock & Sand Co. with a dump truck and a shovel. During the next four decades, Rinker expanded the business, which he renamed Rinker Materials Corp., adding concrete block and cement production, and divisions for aggregate and real estate. By 1988, Rinker Materials was the largest producer of ready-mix concrete and block in Florida, and Rinker sold it to CSR Limited, an Australian company.

Rinker was a leader of many state and national organizations in his industry and his community, including the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, American Red Cross, YMCA, and Rotary International. During World War II, Rinker was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, which flew private planes out of West Palm Beach and Lantana in search of German submarines along the Florida coast.

Travel as an educational experience was always an important part of Doc’s life. He and his wife travelled to more than 100 places around the globe-to all the continents except Antarctica.

Before he died in 1996, the M.E. Rinker Sr. Foundation endowed a scholarship program to benefit students who want to study abroad in one of Ball State’s international programs and the Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Center for International Programs was dedicated Oct. 23, 2006. Although his time at Ball State was brief, the experience left a strong impression on his life.

The Rinker family's generosity and legacy help our students to see the world, expand their minds, and dedicate themselves to incorporating the world’s best ideas and practices into their careers and their daily lives.

Sample Scholarship

Mary Catherine (Templin) Sample graduated in May 1935 from Ball State Teachers College with a bachelor of science degree in general science, physical education, and social studies. She taught one year at Red Key High School before marrying her (Milton, Indiana) high school sweetheart, Glenn W. Sample, in 1936. The couple had four children. She remained a stay-at-home mother while her husband was employed at Purdue University for 10 years, Indiana Farm Bureau for about 30 years, and then was named president of what is now Ivy Tech Community College. Mary Catherine and Glenn owned a working farm near Zionsville, Indiana, where they reared their four children.

Mary Catherine's obsession with traveling really started in her formative secondary years with in and out-of-state travels, but it was in 1949, when she traveled to Hawaii for several weeks, which started what became a more than 60-year obsession to travel and see the world and all wonders of the world. Through more than six decades, she traveled to and studied more than 125 countries on seven continents using every mode of transportation available from horses to helicopters, railways to rickshaws, kayaks to zodiacs and, of course, all by land, sea, and air. In her late 80s, she went to Nepal while she could “still ride a horse.” She fed the penguins in Antarctica in her early 90s. When a grandchild inquired on her 91st birthday how many times she had been to Hawaii, she calculated it was more than 50 times "but I've been to London more times than that." Born February 9, 1913, Mary Catherine visited every castle, cathedral and church, every mansion, museum and mausoleum she could find in the world. She proudly attended her 70th Ball State Homecoming and reconnected with some college friends. Mary Catherine died October 9, 2010, from natural causes at the age of 97.

Jim and Leah Turner Scholarship 

This scholarship was established in December 1999 by James and Leah Turner, both of whom graduated from Ball State University in 1981. Mr. Turner, a Polical Science major and English minor, attended Ball State's London Centre program in the Autumn of 1979. Mrs. Turner, an Elementary Education major, participated in overseas studies through Ball State's EXCEL program, also in the Autumn of 1979. 

Yuhas Scholarship

The Ball State family lost a dear friend who served the university as a professor, administrator, and benefactor when Phyllis Yuhas passed away on Feb. 21, 2006, at age 83. An ardent traveler, she had just returned from a trip to India.

Yuhas, a professor emerita of history, was one of the founders of international education at Ball State. In the mid-1960s, she organized the Office of International Programs. Her promotion of international studies influenced the creation of university programs such as the London and Australia Centers and exchange programs, international consortia, and short-term summer programs. As a charter member, she led Ball State into the International Student Exchange Program, the world's most prestigious exchange program that has opened the door to over 80 countries for local students.

To honor Yuhas' work in international education, her mother, Gladys Nelson, bequeathed more than $700,000 to create a charitable remainder trust with which Yuhas endowed Ball Sate with the Phyllis Ann Yuhas International Scholarship Fund. Yuhas generously donated the annual income from the trust to her scholarship so that awards could be made during her lifetime. The principal of the trust was donated to the scholarship fund.

Born in Iowa, Yuhas was a graduate of Swarthmore College and received her master's degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education and PhD from the University of Iowa.

A Muncie resident since 1953, Yuhas traveled the world to gain a better understanding of people and cultures. She frequently traveled with her mother, the first woman to serve in the Iowa General Assembly (1950-56). The two traveled together on extended trips throughout the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Africa.

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants can provide funding to participate in study-abroad programs worldwide.

Learn more about Pell Grants.

Stafford Loans 

Many Ball State students use federal financial aid to pay for their study abroad programs, among other uses.

Federal aid can apply for Ball State programs when students have registered for at least the minimum number of credits. Federal financial aid might not apply to non-Ball State sponsored programs.

How to Determine if You Can Use Your Financial Aid

If you wish to learn how your aid package would apply to your study abroad, follow these steps:

  1. Select a specific study abroad program.
  2. Download or request a custom Estimated Cost of Attendance worksheet through the Study Abroad Office. 
  3. Call 765-285-5600 to set up an appointment with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
  4. Take the Estimated Cost of Attendance worksheet to the meeting. Financial Aid staff cannot help without first knowing the program type and cost.

Tip: Consult with the Financial Aid Office about FAFSA deadlines to prevent delays to your aid dispersal.