Programs/Scholarships

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers a competition for awards for study abroad, for US citizen students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university. This program is offered through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Selected by competition, recipients are awarded up to $5000 to defray the costs associated with studying abroad.

Learn more about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

U.S. Fulbright

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Fulbright is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

Learn more about U.S. Fulbright programs

International Visitor Leadership Program

The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) brings participants to the United States from all over the world each year to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience the U.S. firsthand. The visitors, who are emerging leaders in government, politics, the media, education, and other fields, are selected by American Officials overseas. More than 200 current and former Heads of State, 1,500 cabinet-level ministers, and many other distinguished world leaders in government and the private sector have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.

As the local administrator of the IVLP, IIE Houston has hosted thousands of visitors representing a broad range of professional interests. Recent visitors include the following:

• A Brazilian hip hop star dedicated to improving life and providing productive alternatives to the children of Rio de Janeiro’s gang-scarred favelas
• The Dean of Angola's largest law school, who visited with counterparts at local universities
• The manager of Chile's premiere opera house, here to meet with the Houston Grand Opera to discuss fundraising and artistic collaboration
• A delegation of Pakistani women Members of Parliament, whose trip to Houston allowed included visits with local U.S. Representatives
• The Presidents of two prominent Iraqi universities, who spent two days with administration officials and faculty members at Texas A&M University
• Forensic scientists from Uzbekistan, here for a specialized three-day program with the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office and Memorial Hermann's Forensic Nursing Program
• Chinese border security officials, who discussed immigration and customs policies with representatives of the Department of Homeland Security

In addition to local professional meetings, the visitors frequently spend time with local IIE volunteers in a social setting, to make new friends and learn more about the American people. The connections made in these informal opportunities are often the most significant and lasting ones, and many of our volunteers remain in touch with the IVLP participants. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer activity, please contact IVLP Manager Paul Cummings by e-mail or at +1 713.621.6300 x 19.

Learn more about the International Visitor Leadership Program

Boren Awards

Funding from the National Security Education Program (NSEP) supports U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests: Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The awards offered are up to $20,000 for undergraduates and $30,000 for graduate students depending on cost and length of program.

Learn more about the Boren Awards

ExxonMobil Russian Scholars Program

The ExxonMobil Russian Scholars Program is a competitive scholarship program which provides highly qualified students from Russia with a fully-funded scholarship towards the completion of a Master's degree in the geosciences at a college or university in the United States or the United Kingdom.

ExxonMobil Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Scholarship Program

ExxonMobil Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Scholarship Program is a highly competitive scholarship program which provides select student leaders from the Middle East and North Africa with a fully-funded scholarship towards the completion of a degree at a college or university in the United States.

Through this unique scholarship opportunity, ExxonMobil aims to contribute to the Middle East and North Africa region by helping to develop highly skilled and culturally adept individuals.

 Learn more about the ExxonMobil Middle East
and North Africa Scholarship Program. (1:17)
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Baker Hughes Scholars Program in Angola

The Baker Hughes Scholars Program in Angola provides selected students scholarships towards the completion of their undergraduate degree in Angola.

Learn more about the Baker Hughes Scholars Program.

Iraq Scholars and Leaders Program

The Iraq Scholars and Leaders Program (ISLP) provides graduate and undergraduate students from Iraq with a scholarship towards the completion of a degree at a university in the USA.

Learn more about Iraq Scholars and Leaders Program (ISLP)

Friends of International Students and Scholars

The Friends of International Students and Scholars (FISS) program is a friendship program allowing international students and scholars at Rice University a chance to learn about American lifestyles and to become better acquainted with the city of Houston, while providing the Student/Scholar and the U.S. Friend an opportunity to gain new perspectives on the world through an exchange of ideas.

IIE Houston and Rice University have co-sponsored the Friends of International Students and Scholars (FISS) program for more than 25 years. Since the program's inception, over 2,500 students from more than 100 countries have participated in the FISS program. Currently, more than 50 "Host Friends" are volunteering to host students/scholars from Rice University. Many of the Friends continue to host the students throughout their academic life in the US. This year we expect nearly 100 international students and scholars to sign up for the program.

FISS is a flexible program with no set activities or time commitments. Once a Friend and Student/Scholar are matched, they can decide what they would like to do together—go to the movies, meet for dinner, attend a downtown concert, etc. Friends are expected to be in touch with their Student/Scholar at least once a month, and invite them for major holidays and FISS activities.

IIE is currently looking for people interested in becoming a Host Friend. All community members are encouraged to participate. Single individuals, couples, families, etc., are invited to be Friends. If you are genuinely interested in international exchanges on a personal level, you are encouraged to join and participate in FISS. If you are interested in being a host Friend, please complete the FISS Application and email it to Christine Zumwalt at fiss@iie.org or fax to +1 713.621.0876.

Host Friends will be expected to attend one informal orientation in July or August and a "Matching Event" that is held in the Fall. For more information about FISS, please contact Christine Zumwalt at  fiss@iie.org or +1 713.621.6300 x 15.

Free International Student Orientation Training Video

Rice University and the Institute of International Education (IIE) have made available a new training video designed to enhance orientation programming for international students. The video is a resource for any U.S. institution that facilitates a friendship program between newly arriving international students and U.S. community volunteers. It includes information on how international students impact and enhance U.S. campuses, provides guidelines on cross-cultural expectations for U.S. volunteers, contains suggestions for successful initial interactions, and explains what both U.S. friends and international students can gain from organized friendship programs.

View or download the video

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology(KAUST) provides scholarship programs that will reinforce KAUST's mission to create a top research university, a collaborative community of talented researchers, and a global network of programs on campus and around the world.