Scholarships
GCAC Scholarship Overview
Student scholarship applicants must complete the travel application (click link and scroll down to select the program you wish to attend and apply) and items 1, 2, and 3 (BELOW) prior to their departure date. Travel applications require a 10% program deposit and proof of submission of current passport and/or screenshot of passport application. After submitting the travel application, follow the steps below to apply for a GCAC Scholarship.
- Complete the GCAC Scholarship Application (see button above).
- Earn 60/100 hours required to earn the Bronze President’s Volunteer Service Award (minimum). The final 40 hours of service will be completed with our international nonprofit partners (see section below).
- Enroll in Global Service Learning and Citizenship: GST 140-440 (for three hours of college credit or audit) at Bethel University (see section below).
IMPORTANT
- It is recommended that you start the travel and scholarship applications AND your service hours no less than 90 DAYS prior to the start date of your program.
- If you have already completed many of the required service hours AND you already have a current passport in hand, you may apply up to 60 DAYS prior to the start date of your program.
- For those needing a passport, processing is taking on average, 60-90 days! You may not travel without a current passport so apply as soon as possible.
- Remember, the final 40 hours of your 100 service hours will be completed in country as part of our program.
- Questions? Need help? GCAC wants you to go and grow with us! If you have questions, please reach out and ask. Contact us at info@globalcitizenadventurecorps.org
Earn the President's Volunteer Service Award
In order to earn a GCAC scholarship, you must earn a minimum of the Bronze Level President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA).
PVSA ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)
- Must be at least five years old
- Complete eligible service within a 12-month period
ELIGIBLE SERVICE:
- Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others
- Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g., Peace Corps) may count towards the Lifetime Achievement Award, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
- Travel stipends, transit/parking passes, membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal volunteer support do not impact service eligibility
ELIGIBLE SERVICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Donating funds
- Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
- Religious instruction
- Conducting worship service
- Proselytizing
- Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
- Serving only family members
HOURS REQUIRED TO EARN AWARD
Teens (11–15 years old) BRONZE 50–74 hours. SILVER 75–99 hours. GOLD 100+ hours. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 4,000+ hours
Young Adults (16–25 years old) BRONZE 100–174 hours. SILVER 175–249 hours. GOLD 250+ hours. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 4,000+ hours
Adults (26 years old and older). BRONZE 100–249 hours. SILVER 250–499 hours. GOLD 500+ hours. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 4,000+ hours
Additional Qualifications:
- Complete eligible service hours within a 12-month period (for annual bronze, silver, and gold awards)
- Hours for the Lifetime Award are cumulative across all years
- Hours may come from different service activities for different organizations/causes so long as the Certifying Organization is able to collect information necessary to certify eligible service hours
- An honoree may only be recognized by one Certifying Organization in a 12-month period
- Certifying Organizations should recognize volunteers at the highest level at which they qualify based on all volunteering that the Certifying Organization is able to certify
Tracking Hours
- You will be required to upload documentation via THIS SPREADSHEET (instructions at the top of sheet) when you complete and submit your service hours using the form below.
- Do NOT submit the following form until ALL SERVICE HOURS ARE COMPLETED and DOCUMENTED using the above spreadsheet.
- THIS FORM may only be submitted once.
- If for any reason, you are in doubt as to the QUALITY of your service project(s), please check with the GCAC office BEFORE you begin volunteering for any hours. We can advise you before you begin and also make recommendations on partnering you with worthy causes if needed.
- QUESTIONS? We wish to help make this as easy as possible! Contact us at info@globalcitizenadventurecorps.org
Enroll in GST 140-440 at Bethel University
Enroll in a Global Service Learning and Citizenship Course – GST 140-440 (for three hours of college credit or audit) at Bethel University.
Click HERE if taking for credit from Bethel University and not already a Bethel University student to begin the process.
Current Bethel students, including current BU Dual Enrollment students will sign up for the course via the normal registration process.