Liftoff Study Abroad Scholarship

Purpose

The Learning Abroad Center’s Liftoff Study Abroad Scholarship provides awards for University of Minnesota undergraduate students participating in credit-bearing programs. This scholarship is intended to:

• Reduce the financial barrier of study abroad
• Provide an additional funding opportunity late in the study abroad process

The Liftoff Study Abroad Scholarship has the broadest eligibility requirements of all our scholarships. This scholarship is not need- or merit-based, and awards are granted solely on the strength of a student’s essay.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be enrolled as a degree-seeking undergraduate student on the Twin Cities or Rochester campuses at the time of application.
• You must be participating in a credit-bearing study abroad program through the Learning Abroad Center or Carlson Global Institute and have an active application for an eligible term by the scholarship application deadline.
• National Student Exchange programs (except NSE Canada) are not eligible.
• You can only apply once per application cycle.  For example, a student participating in a winter break program and a spring semester program can apply for one of these terms but not both.
• If participating in an Academic Year or Calendar Year program, you can only apply for Academic Year or Calendar Year scholarship awards. For example, for Academic Year programs, you cannot apply for both the Fall and Spring cycles, only the Academic Year cycle.
• You can apply for any or all of the Learning Abroad Center scholarships for which you are eligible. It is possible to be awarded multiple scholarships for one program. However, students awarded the Gopher Study Abroad Scholarship cannot also receive the Liftoff Study Abroad Scholarship nor the President's Emerging Scholars Fund the Gap Scholarship for that program.
• Students are eligible to utilize this scholarship for a program offered during a term immediately following their graduation.
• Students can receive a maximum of 2 Learning Abroad Center scholarships (Gopher, Liftoff, First Generation Student, President's Emerging Scholars Fund the Gap Scholarship) during their undergraduate career.

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• How thoroughly you answer the specific question outlined below
• How well your own unique voice, examples, and experiences come through in your writing
• How well written your essay is, in terms of grammar, punctuation and organization

Essay Question

Reflect on how the program you chose relates to your academic, career, and/or personal goals. Why did you choose this particular program? Describe specific program features and elaborate on how these will help you meet one or more of your goals. (350 words maximum)

As you write your essay, consider the following:

• “Academic” goals do not need to be related to your major; we are looking for you to describe how the program coursework, model, and/or features are relevant to your goals.
• Regardless of what type of goals you are focusing on, explain how your goals enhance your learning.

Deadlines & Award Amounts

Apply before for the deadline of the term abroad, found on the Dates section of the program page. Contact Nathan Jacobson if you have questions.

The application for your term abroad will become available after the current deadline has passed. For example, if you are studying abroad in spring, you cannot apply until after the deadline for fall programs.

Note: Applications are no longer being accepted for this scholarship for the current academic year (2025-26). We expect to open applications for our fall 2026 cycle after the spring 2026 semester has concluded, with a deadline in late October 2026 (exact date TBD). Application deadlines will be similar next year to what is listed below. 

Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on the deadline date. Scholarship notification emails will be sent to all applicants' UMN email accounts 4-6 weeks after the deadline.

Submit your application:

Applications are no longer being accepted for this scholarship for the current academic year (2025-26). We expect to open applications for our fall 2026 cycle after the spring 2026 semester has concluded, with a deadline in late October 2026 (exact date TBD).