Scholarships for International Students
Directly empower deserving international students to achieve their academic and professional aspirations at UVM.
Why Scholarships Matter?
International students bring so much value to the UVM campus and classroom through their diverse perspectives and experiences. We are committed to expanding our global community through the power of donor-created scholarships.
Scholarships are crucial to growing our international student population. Removing financial barriers helps students from around the world to benefit from our exceptional educational offerings and culturally rich campus life.
Due to their citizenship status, international students are not eligible for need-based financial aid and currently, there is very limited scholarship support for undergraduate or graduate international students. This severely limits our ability to recruit these talented students.
International students bring invaluable perspectives that enrich the learning experience for everyone, preparing our graduates for a globally interconnected future.
By considering a commitment to our international student scholarship fund, you can play a pivotal role in this transformative journey.
You will directly empower deserving students to achieve their academic and professional aspirations at UVM, fostering a diverse and vibrant community that is essential for global leadership and cooperation.
Why is it important to have international students at UVM?
International students are crucial to our community for several important reasons:
Cultural Diversity and Global Perspectives: International students bring a range of cultural perspectives to the campus, exposing all students to diverse worldviews and traditions.
Enhanced Academic Environment: Classroom discussions and understanding of global issues are greatly enriched by the inclusion of voices and perspectives from around the world.
Economic Contribution: According to the National Association of International Educators' analysis of federal data, UVM's international students contributed $17.3 million to the 2022 economy, supporting 169 jobs, and demonstrating their role in the economic vitality of the region.
Demographic and Enrollment Stability: Facing student demographic shifts and an aging state population, Vermont and UVM benefit from attracting students from beyond the state's borders. International students not only bolster enrollments and diversify the campus, but they can also become lifelong Vermonters.
Preparation for Global Market: As employers increasingly seek graduates who can operate effectively in a global marketplace, a culturally diverse student body is better equipped with essential intercultural communication skills and international competencies.
Our Fundraising Goal
By supporting international student scholarships at the University of Vermont, you help enable promising students from around the world access a top-tier education and bring essential global perspectives that enrich our academic and cultural environment.
Your commitment not only transforms lives but also strengthens our global community, preparing all students to thrive in an interconnected world.
Our goal is to establish 10 new scholarship funds for international students - five for undergraduates and five for graduate students.
Two Ways You can change a student’s life
Create an immediate-use scholarship with a $10,000 commitment. You can make a pledge of 1-4 years and your gift will immediately be used to help an undergraduate or graduate student attend UVM.
Create an endowed scholarship with a $50,000 commitment. You can make a pledge of 1-5 years and your gift will help undergraduate or graduate students in perpetuity. Your generosity will live on as part of your legacy at UVM.
Meet some of our international students and alumni
In order to give you a better idea for how your scholarship support will help students, the following pages are full of international student profiles. We hope their stories will inspire your generosity.
Soham Mehta joined the University of Vermont in 2020 from his home country of India. He recently graduated in May 2024 with a wildlife biology major and zoology minor.
He was attracted to UVM based on its strengths wildlife biology. Without any connections to Vermont or UVM, he was drawn to apply because of the hands-on experiences within the Rubenstein school.
He has benefitted from the field-based learning opportunities in UVM’s natural areas and from easy access to Lake Champlain. This support, access and training has led him to be a student leader on campus and a rising scholar. He was a founding member of the International Student Club and held a key role in developing the Rubenstein school's Inclusive Excellence plan.
“Beyond the enriching array of field courses offered in RSENR, the diverse leadership opportunities have played a pivotal role in shaping my journey towards becoming an interdisciplinary conservation biologist and community leader.”
Soham’s next move is to Columbia University in New York, where he will join their graduate program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology.
Lara Monteiro is a doctoral student in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, who hails from Brazil.
Her curiosity and research interests were sparked in 2017 by a presentation given by her advisor, Dr. Brendan Fisher, at the Student Conference on Conservation Science in the UK. She followed up by reading his book, A Field Guide to Economics for Conservationists.
Lara’s opportunity to study with Dr. Fisher and her co-advisor, Dr. Gillian Galford, was catalyzed by funding opportunities made available through the Gund Institute for Environment. She has been able to integrate her knowledge of ecosystem restoration, with her interest in understanding the social benefits from restoration projects in the most biologically rich savanna in the world, the Brazilian Cerrado.
At UVM, Lara has valued her discussion-based classes and research opportunities. Her professional and personal growth has been stimulated by interactions with students from multiple departments and from around the world through social events and academic research.
Another opportunity seized by Lara at UVM is to serve in a leadership role with SCANAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science). She has personally and professionally grown through this group, and most importantly, contributed to other students’ growth and success.
“Through SACNAS, I have actively organized professional development activities for underrepresented communities within UVM, with the goal of fostering greater inclusion in STEM fields. This initiative is particularly meaningful to me as it aims to improve representation for individuals like me.”
Phyu Pannu Khin is completing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She is spending her sixth and final year in Boston doing her clinical work with a focus on trauma.
Originally from Burma (also known as Myanmar), Pannu spent about 10 years in the U.S. before coming to Vermont, doing her undergraduate studies and working in Boston. She came to UVM in 2018 to join UVM's Connecting Cultures Program.
The program allowed her to focus on trauma and PTSD, understanding that refugees could have experienced this as a part of their journeys.
Pannu’s own commitment to supporting people who have survived trauma and PTSD, which refuges commonly experience as part of their journeys, comes from experiences that are near and dear to her heart. Her father was a political prisoner in Burma, due to his pro-democracy work in the country. During her doctoral studies at UVM, Pannu's family had to flee Burma after the military coup, moving to the Thailand border.
Pannu is grateful for the training she has received from her faculty advisors, Dr. Karen Fondacaro and Dr. Keith Burt, who provided tremendous support along her academic and personal journey.
“Hope is revolutionary. Joy is revolutionary. That even in crisis, sharing laughter and joy is fundamental.”
Pannu has a post-doctoral fellowship lined up with Harvard Medical School after she graduates. She looks forward to deepening and broadening her connection to the refugee community, supporting trauma survivors, and helping them finding their path.
Ready to Have a Conversation?
We'd love to talk with you about your interesting supporting international student scholarships. You can reach out to:
Jamie McGowan, Ph.D.
Executive Director
International Partnerships and Programs
802.656.0299
or
Kevin Morgenstein Fuerst
Assistant Vice President
UVM Foundation
802.656.3227