UponArriving 2019 Study Abroad Scholarship

UponArriving is thrilled to be offering two $500 scholarships to two exceptional students for the 2019 to 2020 academic school year. One $500 scholarship will be awarded to a student who is enrolled to study abroad in the future while a second $500 scholarship will be awarded to a student who has previously studied abroad. Keep reading below for more details on this exciting new scholarship!


Scholarship requirements

  • Current undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited US/Canadian college or university for the 2019 to 2020 academic school year.
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent)
  • Open to all majors

Here is everything you’ll need to submit: 

  • Personal details and photo
  • Electronic copy of an official transcript 
  • Signed letter verifying plans to study abroad or past study abroad trip experience 
  • Minimum 750 word original essay written by the applicant
  • Deadline to submit all required documents: April 30, 2020 (midnight CST)

Personal details

In your submission email, please include the following: 

  • First and Last name 
  • Major (if applicable) 
  • School or university 
  • Expected year of graduation
  • Digital headshot (preferably JPEG) 
  • Phone number 

Personal information will only be used for the purpose of awarding the scholarships and contacting the winners. No personal information be distributed, sold, or provided to third parties. 

Transcript 

Please provide a PDF version of your official transcript showing your name and GPA. Your GPA will be considered for the scholarship but will not be a major factor compared to the weight given to your essay. 

Verification letter 

All applicants must submit a letter from a university official (professor, administrator, etc.) on an official letterhead of the relevant school they attend (or on the official letterhead of the school they participated in the study abroad program with) verifying that the student did participate in a study abroad program or that they have enrolled in a study abroad program in the future.

The letter should be signed and dated and in PDF format. Please note that we reserve the right to follow up and verify all information in the letter.    

750 word essay 

Your essay must be at least 750 words (font size 12 and double spaced) but no longer than 1,250 words. Applicants are encouraged to be creative and to think about how their study abroad experience will relate (or has related) to their own personal growth. 

If you have not yet studied abroad, we want to hear about how you think your study abroad experience will shape your life. Questions to consider answering include: 

  • What do you expect to get out of the experience?
  • Is there anything specific you hope to overcome?
  • How do you envision the experience affecting you in your personal and academic life?
  • How do you think this experience will fit in to your career path?   

If you have already studied abroad, we want to hear about how your study abroad experience has shaped your life. Questions to consider answering include: 

  • Did you overcome any major obstacles?
  • Did you experience any unexpected setbacks?
  • Did you push through personal fears?
  • What about the experience will you always take with you? 


How to submit your scholarship application documents

  • Email all of your documents to [email protected] (this is the only address you may submit documents to).
  • Submissions will open June 1, 2019. 
  • All materials should be submitted by April 30, 2020 (midnight CST) and all documents should be in PDF format.
  • By submitting an application to UponArriving, you certify that all the information you have provided is accurate and complete. Also, you agree that your essay may be posted and shared on UponArriving.com along with your name, university, and photo. 

The UponArriving team will review all essays and choose one winner for each category based on the quality and depth of their responses (with some consideration given to GPA). Mostly, we are looking for students who show a real commitment to personal growth.   

The winner will be announced by the end of May of 2020 and will be contacted by email or phone if necessary. The winners will have 14 calendar days to respond in order to receive their scholarship award.

Each winner may use the $500 scholarship to cover academic-related expenses including: tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Only one submission may be entered per student, per year. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. All scholarships are non-renewable.  

By the way, our founder studied abroad three times and put together an ultimate guide for studying abroad that could be very helpful for your planning so be sure to check it out!