Funding a Wildlands Studies Program
Many students are able to form “Consortium Agreements” between their home university campus and Wildlands Studies for the use of FAFSA financial aid from their home campus. This is at the discretion of each university. Check with your academic advisor, Study Abroad Office or Financial Aid Office about a consortium agreement to learn about using financial aid
to pay for our programs.
Wildlands Studies has worked with students from the universities listed below to establish a “Consortium Agreement” that allows the student to use their home campuses FAFSA financial aid to pay for their Wildlands Studies program.
The typical consortium agreement requirement is a minimum course load of 12 quarter system credits or 12 semester system credits. Wildlands Studies long term courses earn 15 quarter system credits, equal to 10 semester credits. See our list below to see if we have an established relationship with your university for use of FAFSA Financial Aid.
University directory for using FAFSA financial aid.
Speak with your academic advisor, Study Abroad office or the Financial Aid Office to receive instructions. If you don’t see your university named on this list, visit your advisor, Study Abroad Office or Financial Aid Office to learn if our programs are eligible on your home campus for use of your FAFSA Financial Aid. It is always worth checking into if your preference is to use FAFSA financial aid to pay program costs.
Universities that currently allow use of FAFSA financial aid for Wildlands Studies programs using a Consortium Agreement:
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Evergreen State College
Seattle University
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, San Diego
University of Denver
University of Oregon
Western Washington University
University of Victoria (Canada)
Semester campuses usually require a minimum enrollment of 12 semester credits to establish a consortium agreement. Wildlands Studies academic term programs earn 10 semester credits. If you attend one of the campuses below, you may want to talk with your Advisor about taking additional credits to learn if you can qualify to use your FAFSA Aid to participate on our programs.
Brown University
California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Georgia State University
Gonzaga University
Indiana State University
Northern Arizona University
Northland College
Prescott College
State University of New York—all campuses through College of Environmental Science and Forestry
University of California, Merced
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Missouri, St Louis
University of New Hampshire
Virginia Tech
Field Study Scholarships
Costa Rica and Ecuador
We feel compelled to share this wondrous place, a region that holds 70% of our planet’s total biodiversity yet faces a tremendous threat. Our educational experience in Ecuador is unparalleled in the academic community and we want to assist students in joining us in this amazing part of the world. We are offering three $500 scholarships for Ecuador. The application deadline is December 1, 2023, for the Winter 2024 Ecuador Program. Acceptance is required for scholarship application submission.
Rich in its complex landscape history, Costa Rica is renowned as a global icon for conservation and plays an exemplary role as an eco-laboratory for trends in biodiversity preservation and sustainable development. We aim to assist students that join us on our Costa Rica program, which is why we are offering three $500 Field Study Scholarships. The application deadline is January 1, 2024 for our Spring 2024 Costa Rica Program. Program acceptance is required for scholarship application submission.
Applying for the Wildlands Studies Scholarship is a simple, three-step process.
Submit your application and pay the $150 application fee. You can use a credit card, or send a check or money order payable to: Wildlands Studies, PO Box 2098, Aptos, CA 95001.
1. Tell us about yourself and why you deserve this scholarship.
2. “Experience the planet. Learn how to help save it” is one of our missions. How will you personally further this goal through participation on either our Peru, Ecuador, or Costa Rica programs?
3. Tell us about a personal achievement that makes you proud.
4. Upon your return, what personal efforts will you make to share your experience and further promote Wildlands Studies to like-minded students?
External scholarship programs and databases for study abroad scholarships.
Here are a few off-campus study scholarships for which Wildlands Studies programs may be a good fit, but there are many more out there. There are also a number of databases for study abroad scholarships, we list a few that Wildlands Studies students have found useful. We also recommend that you contact your academic advisor or Study Abroad Office for more options and for scholarship writing advice. Please forward to us any other scholarships or databases that you find particularly helpful so we can pass them along as well!
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
Offers grants to undergraduate U.S. citizens who would not otherwise be able to afford international study abroad. Students must be receiving Pell Grant funding at two- or four-year colleges or universities to be eligible. This program awards over 2,300 scholarships of up to $5,000. A number of Wildlands Studies students have joined us with Gilman Scholarships
Foundation for Global Scholars
Provides scholarships to U.S. and Canadian citizens who are enrolled in a North American university or college and the transfer credit from the study abroad will be applied to your degree in progress. These scholarships are available to both undergraduate and graduate students (including medical and law school students). The foundation awards over 200 scholarships each year between $1,000 and $2,500.
Fund for Education Abroad
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents currently enrolled as undergraduates in U.S. universities or colleges who plan to study abroad for at least four weeks. The fund awards up to fifteen scholarships of up to $10,000 each year. In addition, the fund has a few scholarships that are dedicated to certain student bodies (New England students, LGBTQI students) and study abroad locations (Vietnam).
Go Overseas Scholarships
Offers scholarships to current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the U.S. up to $1,000. The application process is quite creative—worth a look.
Diversity Abroad Scholarships
Offers five $500 scholarships for the summer, and five are available for the fall and spring semesters. Economically disadvantaged students, first-generation, students with disabilities, and ethnically and racial diverse students are strongly encouraged to apply.
Remember, this list is just the beginning! There are lots of scholarships out there.
