Barlow Grants
You can apply from abroad for Barlow Enrichment and Thesis Research Grants.
Enrichment Grants
As the name suggests, Enrichment Grants are designed to enrich the experience of students on semester or year-long study abroad programs. Enrichment Grants can be used for extra travel while abroad or for an enriching activity at the study abroad site. While most of these grants fund extra travel, grants have also been used, for example, to purchase a trumpet to allow participation in an orchestra in Russia and supplies for a student to use for her volunteer work in an orphanage in Ecuador. Allowable expenses include food, low-cost lodging, travel, entry fees, conference expenses, and up to $100 for academic supplies or equipment, such as books or a tape recorder. Funds may not be used to pay salaries, purchase gifts, or pay the regular costs of study abroad. Funds must be spent before final exams. Up to $500 is available for one enrichment trip or activity.
Students apply for enrichment grants after they have begun studying abroad when the scope of opportunities and costs of carrying them out are better known. If the grant involves travel, it needs to be for one travel experience. The application must be submitted prior to incurring the expenses. The grant application needs to describe the proposed activity, including the time period, location, and how it will enrich the study abroad experience. The proposal needs to provide realistic cost estimates. Students can apply for these grants using the Barlow Sample Application Form or by sending an email <ssawyer@bates.edu>or a fax (207-786-8331) to Dean Sawyer with the same information along with their proposal. A maximum of four enrichment grants are awarded per country per semester with only one grant per student per year.
Applications are reviewed by the Off-Campus Study Committee approximately once a month when the college is in session as long as funds remain. The Committee may alter these procedures and deadlines if necessary in specific cases. All Committee decisions are final.
Thesis Research Grants
Grants of up to $1,200 are available to support research on theses directly related to the Bates study abroad experience. Grants can support thesis research in the study abroad country during the junior year while studying abroad, during the following summer, or during the senior year.
For junior year thesis grants, students apply after they have begun studying abroad and identified a potential thesis topic and have a better sense of its feasibility and research costs. Students who study abroad in the fall may apply for junior year research funds upon their return to campus for use later in the year. October 1 is the initial deadline for senior year grants, but applications are welcome into second semester. Whatever the timing, applications require consultation with, and the support of, the thesis advisor documented in a letter from the faculty member. This consultation ensures that the thesis topic and methodology are adequately developed and approved by the faculty advisor. The goal is to ensure that that the proposed field work will be productive and is essential for the thesis. Applications must be submitted prior to undertaking the research.
Grant applications need to describe the proposed research, including the time period, location, and how it relates to the Bates study abroad experience. Allowable expenses include food, low-cost lodging, travel, entry fees, conference expenses, and up to $100 for academic supplies or equipment, such as books or a tape recorder. Funds may not be used to pay salaries, purchase gifts, or pay the regular costs of study abroad. Applications are submitted to the Off-Campus Study Office in Lane Hall for review by the Off-Campus Study Committee. Applications may be submitted using the Barlow Sample Application Form or via email to Dean Sawyer. Grant applications are reviewed approximately once a month when college is in session as long as funds remain. October 1 is the initial deadline for thesis grants for the senior year, but later applications are welcome. The Committee may alter these procedures and deadlines if necessary. All Committee decisions are final.