Information for Students

Travel date information

• Passport information and deadlines will be provided during preliminary meetings and/or classes

 

Examples from previous trips

• Two Week Summer Volunteer Trip to Tanzania 
  
  • Third week of March - Meet the Team! The first class begins and will meet for 1 hour a week until the last week of April. Classes cover learning Swahili, the history and culture of Tanzania, safety while traveling abroad, and the culture of service learning.
  • May 12th: Volunteers arrive in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! Volunteers are picked up by staff for an overnight stay at the Blue Sapphire Hotel.
  • May 13th: Volunteers fly to Dodoma and travel to Ipalamwa, their volunteer destination.  There, they get further training in Swahili, culture, and discuss work assignments.
  • May 14th: Orientation for volunteering continues.
  • May 15th - 27th: Volunteer work. Free time on the weekend also means the opportunity to go on a Safari in the Ruaha National Park..
  • May 28th: Volunteers travel back to the United States
    Fall semester: Volunteers present their experiences at UCM.

 

FAQs

Who can apply? 

Any full-time UCM student, domestic or international, can apply. This includes any undergraduate from Freshman to Senior, and any Graduate student. 

International Students please see the Global Vision International Student FAQ Guide for information regarding travel authorization and visa requirements.

 

Who is preferred?

The intention of this scholarship is to provide an opportunity to travel abroad to students at UCM who might not otherwise travel. Therefore students who have not traveled abroad before will generally be preferred. However, all students are welcome and encouraged to apply. 

 

Are any specific majors preferred over others?

Not at all. All majors and levels are welcome to apply. This scholarship is intended to provide an opportunity for any UCM student to have a high impact experience, personally, professionally, and academically. 

 

What are the requirements?

The requirements are posted on the application. Students should expect to provide some information about themselves, write a brief essay, and three letters of recommendation.

 

Can I travel with a friend or a group of friends?

Encourage your friends to apply as well! However, in this case, since the scholarship is competitive and selective, there is no way to guarantee that a group of students can travel together. 

 

What can I do to make my application more likely to be selected? 

Attend information sessions and ask questions. Also, check in with the Study Abroad office and sign up for sessions on scholarship workshops.

 

Where can I learn more about the programs for the coming year? 

Keep an eye out for Information sessions and email communications about the upcoming programs. The Study Abroad office can also provide students with fliers, resources, and information about how to prepare. 

 

Do I need a passport to apply? 

This is not a requirement to apply. The application deadline is intentionally early so that students will have time to apply for a passport after they receive the scholarship, if needed. Students who have been awarded the scholarship will need to apply for a passport as soon as possible, however. Some locations require a visa to travel, and the passport is needed for that, and when traveling to another country, a passport is needed in hand. 

 

Is it really fully paid for? What is and isn’t included? 

The scholarship covers all fees on site as well as airfare to and from the location. Global Volunteers picks the group up at the airport and provides transportation to the site, and provides room and board for everyone in each program for its duration. Anyone who doesn’t have a passport will have to apply for a passport and pay out of pocket. The UCM Study Abroad office can provide advice on how to apply for a passport if needed. In addition, Global Volunteers often provides an opportunity to take a tour of interesting locations provided by local tour companies. These are paid out of pocket, and are completely optional, and are very popular. Costs vary from site to site. More information on this will be provided prior to travel. 

 

Do I need to get any vaccinations? 

Each location varies, and if certain vaccinations are required for entry into the country, all participants will need to. 

 

Will there be any charges on my student account? 

There is a course that students must enroll in, so 1 hour of tuition will be charged to the student’s account.   In addition, a study abroad fee of $100 will be charged. However, since the credit is related to an international travel experience, UCM will provide a $350 international study grant, just like other faculty-led study abroad programs. In the end, students will have total charges less than $125 on their accounts for the course and fee.

 

Will I see any scholarship funds on my account? 

The scholarship will pay airfare and accommodation expenses directly, so this will not appear on student accounts. Only the International Study Grant ($350) will appear on the account as aid.

 

Why is a study abroad fee applied to this program? 

Since the course and travel are linked, this program falls within the University’s Study Abroad policies. The study abroad fee was approved by the Board of Governors to partially cover the expense of the study abroad Portal, UCM travel insurance, and the Safecheck technology, which provides options for communications in case of emergency. This will provide safety resources during the entire trip.