Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA)

Website: Freeman-ASIA

Description

Freeman-ASIA (Freeman Awards for Study in Asia) is designed to support American undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study overseas in East or Southeast Asia. The program's goal is to increase the number of Americans with first-hand exposure to an understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures. 

Award recipients are required to share their experiences with their home campuses or communities to encourage study abroad by others and fulfill the program's goal of increasing understanding of Asia in the United States.

 

Award Benefits:

A Freeman-ASIA Award provides need-based funding to assist the recipient with the cost of the study abroad program and related expenses, including airfare, basic living costs, local transportation, books, etc.

 

Grant amounts are:

 Summer Award  up to $3,000
 Semester/Quarter Award  up to $5,000
 Academic Year Award  up to $7,000

 

Freeman-ASIA Award funds may be adjusted should the recipient receive additional financial assistance not reported at the time of application.

Award funds are distributed to the award recipient's checking account via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) in one lump sum for summer and semester awards and in two installments for academic year awards.

Students may apply for institutional/program-based Freeman Foundation grants and the Freeman-ASIA Awards at the same time, but may only accept one per proposed study abroad term should the student be awarded both.

 

Service Projects:

Within one month of returning from studying abroad, Freeman-ASIA Award recipients are required to provide feedback on their study abroad experiences by completing an online Freeman-ASIA Student Impact Survey.

Additionally, Freeman-ASIA Award recipients are required to fulfill their service project requirements, based on their initial service proposal stated in their Freeman-ASIA applications, within the first semester or term immediately following their return from studying abroad.

Service proposals, approved by Study Abroad Advisers, are the students' own ideas as to how they plan to share their overseas study abroad experiences and promote interest in study abroad in East and Southeast Asia on their college campuses and/or in their communities. In designing their service projects, students should consider their skills and interests in addition to the publicity needs of their campus and/or community. 

Eligibility

An applicant:

  1. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.
  2. Must currently receive need-based financial aid or demonstrate a verifiable need for financial assistance to participate in the proposed study abroad program. The applicant is required to submit the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) figure, calculated through FAFSA, via the online Freeman-ASIA application.
  3. Must be an undergraduate student with a minimum GPA of 2.8, pursuing his or her first bachelor’s degree (or associate’s degree), at a two-year or a four-year institution of higher education in the United States.
  4. Must apply through the U.S. home campus and have at least one term of enrollment remaining at the home institution in the U.S. upon returning from studying abroad in Asia.
  5. Must have applied or have been accepted to a study abroad based program in: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. A multi-country program is eligible only if the applicant will spend at least 8 weeks in one of the countries stated above and will have intensive language study during that period.
  6. Must have applied to or have been accepted by a study abroad based program that awards academic credits through the home campus or other U.S. accredited college or university. The proposed length of study in the host country must be a minimum of 8 weeks for a summer term, 10 weeks for a quarter term, and 12 weeks for a semester term. Internship based programs are not eligible for award.
  7. Must have little or no previous experience in the country in which he or she plans to study. A summer term applicant must not have spent more than 4 weeks in the proposed country of study within the last 5 years. A semester or an academic year term applicant must not have spent more than 6 weeks in the proposed country of study within the last 5 years.
  8. Must submit the online Freeman-ASIA Student Impact Survey within one month of returning to the United States and must initiate his/her service project to promote study abroad opportunities in Asia on the college campus and/or in the local community.
  9. Must submit the Freeman-ASIA Final Service Report on the implementation of his/her service project at the end of the term following his/her return to the United States.
  10. Must not be a previous Freeman-ASIA award recipient.
Student Type
  • freshman
  • sophomore
  • junior
  • senior
Citizen Type
  • US Citizen
  • Permanent Resident
Procedure

Application Process:

  • Review the Freeman-ASIA eligibility requirements.
  • Identify a Study Abroad Program in East or Southeast Asia that qualifies for a Freeman-ASIA Award. Please note, the program must be approved by your home institution.
  • Contact the Study Abroad Adviser who will certify the programmatic and academic portions of your Freeman-ASIA application. You must ensure that you are requesting certification from the appropriate individual on campus; in most cases, this will be your campus Study Abroad Adviser. In general, faculty or other staff members who are not serving as an adviser for your study abroad program would not be the appropriate person to certify your application. This individual must be familiar with the study abroad program and must be able to confirm that you (and your program) meet the eligibility requirements. Note that some institutions designate a specific individual to certify scholarship applications.
  • Contact your Financial Aid Adviser to review and understand your projected financial aid for your study abroad program. This individual should be from your campus financial aid office.
  • Follow up with your Study Abroad Adviser to ensure he/she has received the registration email to access your application certification form.
  • Submit your application by the student deadline. You will receive a submission confirmation email.
  • Check with your Study Abroad Adviser to ensure that his/her certification will be submitted by the adviser deadline. You will receive a confirmation email when your adviser has submitted his/her certification.

 

Instructions

Application Process:

  1. Review the Freeman-ASIA eligibility requirements.
  2. Identify a Study Abroad Program in East or Southeast Asia that qualifies for a Freeman-ASIA Award. Please note, the program must be approved by your home institution.
  3. Contact the Study Abroad Adviser who will certify the programmatic and academic portions of your Freeman-ASIA application. You must ensure that you are requesting certification from the appropriate individual on campus; in most cases, this will be your campus Study Abroad Adviser. In general, faculty or other staff members who are not serving as an adviser for your study abroad program would not be the appropriate person to certify your application. This individual must be familiar with the study abroad program and must be able to confirm that you (and your program) meet the eligibility requirements. Note that some institutions designate a specific individual to certify scholarship applications.
  4. Contact your Financial Aid Adviser to review and understand your projected financial aid for your study abroad program. This individual should be from your campus financial aid office.
  5. Follow up with your Study Abroad Adviser to ensure he/she has received the registration email to access your application certification form.
  6. Submit your application by the student deadline. You will receive a submission confirmation email.
  7. Check with your Study Abroad Adviser to ensure that his/her certification will be submitted by the adviser deadline. You will receive a confirmation email when your adviser has submitted his/her certification.

Completing the Freeman-ASIA Application

To be considered for an award, all applicants must submit an application via Embark. When you register your Embark account, you will receive an email confirming your registration. Please follow the application instructions carefully as you navigate the application. In addition, please be aware of the following details and requirements:

  1. You must complete the eligibility page of the application before proceeding with the rest of the application.
  2. You must register your Study Abroad Adviser in the “Adviser Registration” section of the application. Please complete your portion of the application before you register your adviser. Otherwise they will receive notification to review your application before it is complete, and they will not be able to certify your application. Note, however, that you do not need to submit your application for them to certify it, but you must have input all the necessary information and saved it in your application.
  3. We do not request or accept academic recommendations. Please do not register additional recommenders. Only register your Study Abroad Adviser to certify your application.
  4. You are required to upload a transcript from your current institution, as well as transcripts from any prior institutions you have attended since high school.
  5. You will also need to upload the following documents. Specific instructions will be provided in the application.
    • Latest Student Aid Report
    • Current academic year financial aid award letter
    • Current academic year cost of attendance at your home institution
  6. No hard copy materials are required as part of the Freeman-ASIA application; the application is completed entirely online.
Contact Information

Freeman-ASIA

U.S. Student Programs
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017-3580

Tel: +1 212.984.5542
Fax: +1 212.984.5325
Email: Freeman-ASIA@iie.org