Scholarship Opportunities for French and Italian Students, Fall 2025

Submitted by Sariah Burdett on

Check below for a list of scholarships, awards, fellowships, and more that are open to eligible French or Italian students during autumn or winter quarter!

Apply for UW nomination to the Carnegie Endowment’s Gaither Junior Fellows Program: UW deadline Dec. 4, 2025!

Each year the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers approximately 15 one-year Gaither Junior Fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors (in 2025-26) and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year (2024-25). Gaither Junior Fellows work as research assistants to the Endowment's senior associates on various international affairs topics and have the opportunity to conduct research for books, co-author journal articles and policy papers, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists and government officials. Learn more about the Carnegie Endowment.

Key details (please visit the website for complete details):

  • Applicants apply to work with specific research teams on projects related to international affairs issues. Review the list of 2026-27 program areas and eligibility requirements.
  • Positions are paid, full-time positions for 10-12 months. Salary is $4,000/month with full benefits and relocation funds.
  • You need not be a U.S. citizen if you attend a university located in the United States. However, all applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for 10-12 months from Sept 1 through June 30 following graduation. Students on F-1 visas who are eligible to work in the United States for the full year may apply for the program.
  • This is open to Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 undergraduate students/alumni. Anyone who has started graduate studies is ineligible for consideration.

UW Applicant Information & Resources:

Apply for UW nomination to the Beinecke Scholarship for juniors in arts, humanities & social science fields: UW deadline Jan. 20, 2026!

The Beinecke Scholarship seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students to pursue graduate study in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and to be courageous in their selection of graduate programs. The scholarship provides $35,000 for a research-focused master's or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences to juniors (based on graduation date) who have financial need.

Eligibility requirements include (please visit the website for complete details):

  • Be a college junior (based on graduation date) pursuing a bachelor's degree.
  • Plan to enter a research-focused or creative-focused master's or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences.
  • Be a United States citizen, or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during their undergraduate years.
  • Demonstrate superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during their undergraduate career.

UW Applicant Information & Resources:

Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association Scholarships

Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association offers three types of scholarships, depending on the program of study, to students in Washington state. Each scholarship awards up to $2,500. Applications open in winter. 

The Goldmark Scholarship awards students enrolled in a Washington state college who are going to study abroad the following year in Nantes, France. This scholarship is committed to sharing and strengthening the ties between Seattle and Nantes.

Dr. Thomas H. Bennett Scholarship awards a student enrolled in a Washington state high school or college who is planning on studying abroad within the next year in a Francophone country. Student applicants must have a passion for learning and travel as well as successful academic studies in French language and/or culture.

Frances Bennett Scholarship is awarded to a student enrolled in French classes at a Washington state college. That student must intend to enter a service profession (eg, teaching, medicine) and/or have overcome significant hardship to pursue higher education. 

National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Scholarship Program

The NIAF Scholarship Program sponsors a number of scholarships available to students who demonstrate a commitment to or an interest in Italian culture and heritage. NIAF administers nearly 200 scholarships annually, ranging in value from $2,500 to $12,000. 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Have an active NIAF membership. Students may use their parent, guardian or grandparent's membership.
  • Be enrolled in a US accredited institution of higher education on a full time basis.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 out of 4.0.
  • Be a US citizen or permanent resident.
  • Applicant must demonstrate a commitment to or interest in Italian culture and heritage.

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Scholarships

Through the Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF), the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA) has awarded tens of millions of dollars in scholarships to date. Every year since its inception, the SIF has offered 10 to 12 merit-based scholarships (National Leadership Grants), ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. These figures and the number of scholarships may vary according to funding each year.

General Eligibility: US Citizens or permanent residents of Italian descent** enrolled in a four-year undergraduate program, graduate program, or a professional school at an accredited academic institution for the Fall 2026 term.

** at least one Italian or Italian American grandparent

Killam Fellowship Program

The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in Canada. Students may participate in the program either as a direct exchange student (registering at their home university, paying their home fees, and attending the host university as an exchange visitor) or as a self-placed visiting student (registering at the host university and paying host tuition fees). Applicants interested in the direct exchange program must be registered at one of the participating American universities and be planning to visit one of the participating Canadian universities.

The Killam Fellowships Program provides a cash award of $6,000 US per semester ($12,000 for a full academic year), and includes a three day orientation in Ottawa, and a three day spring seminar in Washington. In addition, the Foundation provides all American Killam Fellows with a health benefit plan. All Killam Fellows are also eligible to apply for a mobility (in-country travel) grant in an amount not to exceed $800 Cdn. The idea of the mobility initiative is to allow students to undertake an educational field trip, providing the Fellows with the opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of the culture in Canada. Killam alumni are also eligible to apply for various enrichment opportunities such as the Fulbright Canada Alumni Internship Program, the Killam Community Action Initiative, and the Local Ambassador Program.

Applications open annually in August and all applications must be submitted by January 31st. Applications are for placement in fall or spring of the next school.

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