National Deadline: March 26, 2025 (estimated)
Voyager Scholarship Events
Description
The Voyager Scholarship Program is a two-year, leadership development and scholarship program. Through a transformational combination of barrier-reducing financial aid, an immersive work-travel experience, and a robust network of leaders and mentors, the Voyager Scholarship is designed to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders and equip them with the tools and resources they need to launch their careers in public service. The Voyager Scholarship will select about 100 scholars per year.
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be a sophomore in Spring 2024; must be enrolled full-time as a junior in Fall 2024. Academic standing is determined by credits at LMU or by having 4 remaining full-time semesters to graduate.
- Demonstrate financial need - Examples: Federal Pell Grant, Cal Grant, LMU scholarships based on need, or even College-level scholarships based on need.
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0
- Demonstrated commitment to public service
- Plan to pursue a career in public service upon graduation. Public service is defined as any work that advances greater societal good.
- Open to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or DACA recipients
- Program Commitment - You are able to commit to fully participating in once per month programming including individual meetings with coaches and network connections as well as developing an actionable Summer Voyage plan.
Note: Students interested in applying should contact Lindsay Anderson, fellowships advisor, at lindsay.anderson@lmu.edu for more information about LMU's application process.
Benefits include:
- Up to $25,000 in "last dollar" financial aid to cover remaining tuition and/or living costs in their junior year and senior year. (Total of up to $50,000.) Last dollar financial aid means that support such as Pell Grant or Cal Grant will be applied toward educational costs first before the Voyager Scholarship is applied. Students do not risk losing their federal aid or needs-based financial support by winning the Voyager Scholarship.
- Summer Voyage: With a budget of $10,000, students will design their own summer voyage between their junior and senior year of college. The experience will allow students to pursue internships or mentorship opportunities anywhere in the world that will broaden their horizons and prepare them for careers in public service. Students will also be able to stay in homes on Airbnb using credits provided by Airbnb. This experience may be an apprenticeship, internship, or a less structured program of your design that will further your commitment to public service.
- 10-year travel stipend: After graduation, Airbnb will provide scholarship recipients with a $2,000 travel credit every year for 10 years, totaling $20,000. This will allow students to continue to broaden their horizons and forge new connections throughout their public service careers.
- Fall Summit: During their Junior Year, Voyagers may have the option to attend an in-person convening where they will engage in community building activities with fellow Voyagers, build their leadership skills, and learn from experienced leaders in public service.
- Network of leaders: Throughout the program, students will be invited to an ongoing speaker series, giving them access to a network of leaders. This network of leaders will expose them to new areas of service and innovations happening in their fields. After graduation, they will join the Obama Foundation’s global community, providing them with Foundation resources and programming.
For official information on the Voyager Scholarship, which supersedes any information provided here, please visit their website.
Required application materials:
- Official LMU transcript; official/unofficial transcripts from previous institutions of higher education
- Information from your 2024-25 FAFSA Submission Summary, or the 2023-2024 FAFSA Student Aid Report.
- 4 short answer essay questions and 4 long answer essay questions
- 2-minute unlisted YouTube video submission
Resources
2023 Voyager Scholarship info session, Voyager 2023 sample application (essays only), Voyager Scholarship 2023 application PDF