Travel Course Scholarships

Travel Course Scholarships for 2024:

We are pleased to announce the fourth year of merit-based, partial scholarships to help support students with the costs of participating in travel courses.  The Travel Course Scholarships are funded through the generosity of the MCLA Foundation.

The amount available for this academic year will be divided proportionately among the travel courses.  Faculty teaching each course will decide how many scholarships the allotted money for their course will support. 

Student in the EvergladesAbout the Travel Course Scholarships

Purpose:
The purpose of the Fund is to endow travel course scholarships for academically-qualified full-time students with sophomore or above status* who demonstrate strong commitment to travel learning and potential for significant scholarly and personal growth through the academic travel experience. In furtherance of that purpose, the scholarship will be available to full-time students with a grade point average of 3.0 or better who have received the instructor's permission to enroll in a specific travel course. Scholarship recipients will be selected from the applicant pool by the Travel Scholarship Faculty Advisory Group.

*First year students are still encouraged to apply and will be considered for an award, pending the availability of sufficient funds.


Travel Course Scholarship Requirements:

•    Full-time student
•    Sophomore, junior, or senior status*
•    Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0
•    Good academic standing
•    Two (2) faculty letters of recommendation, one of which may be from the faculty member supervising the travel course.
 •    Submission of both the standard scholarship application and travel course essay (essays topics are designed for individual travel courses by faculty planning and teaching the course).

All applicants must complete the general scholarship form as part of the application process Scholarship Application Form.

Japan: Applicants for the Japan Travel Course Scholarship will write an essay of  600-700 words that answers the following questions:

  1. What aspect of Japan attracts you most and prompts you to learn more about it?
  2. What do you hope to accomplish through this travel to Japan?
  3. What are your educational goals? Why will this scholarship help you achieve your goals?

Everglades and South Florida:  Applicants for the Everglades and South Florida Course Scholarship will write an essay of  600-700 words that answers the following questions:

  1. Why are you interested in participating in this course and travel to South Florida?
  2. Describe your experiences and/or interests in exploring ecosystems outside of New England?
  3. What do you hope to gain from participating in this course?

Financial Aid

The deadline for submitting all Travel Course Scholarship Application materials is Monday, November 4, 2024.

Travel Course Scholarship applications will be completed online through the link above. Faculty recommendations may be sent to Student Financial Services, either emailed to finaid@mcla.edu or dropped off at the office in Eldridge Hall.

The Members of the Travel Course Scholarship Advisory Group:

Carrie Alibozek
Michael Birch
Mariana Bolivar
Dave Cupery
Anthony Daly
Jenn Dix
Eric Doucette
Richard Glejzer
Anne Goodwin
Ely Janis
Anna Jaysayne-Darr
Graziana Ramsden
Laura Standley
Elena Traister
Kebra Ward
Bob Ziomek

Thanks to: The MCLA Foundation and the Financial Aid Office.