First Trip Scholarship
First Trip Scholarship
Click the
booklet for
complete
U.N. report!
UN Human Development Index (2021/2022 Edition).
Students should confirm destination eligibility before applying for the First Trip scholarship. A complete list of this year's eligible destinations is presented below!
First Trip promotes nontraditional travel!
Eligible Destinations: How we use the HDI
First Trip values the philosophy of global citizenship and promotes travel to non-traditional study abroad destinations. In recent years, international educators have begun challenging students to consider more meaningful international experiences over cliché Western European excursions. First Trip proudly participates in this initiative.
We believe the true path to global citizenship is initiated once we immerse ourselves into another culture far different from our own. Only then are we forced to leave our comfort zones and abandon the unconscious ethnocentrism that we all possess before living abroad.
Therefore, First Trip does not offer scholarship funding for students traveling to countries that are comparable to the United States in overall standard of living, culture, and way of life.
First Trip may provide funding for individuals traveling to countries ranked lower than Very High on the United Nations' annual Human Development Index (HDI). As the HDI is updated annually, only countries whose human development have been ranked as High, Medium, or Low on the latest HDI are considered eligible destinations.
Eligible Destinations 2022-2023
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina*
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
China, People's Republic
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica*
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Dem. Rep. of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia*
Maldives
Mali
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Oman*
Pakistan
Palestine
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
St. Vincent and Grenadines
Samoa
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand*
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago*
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
Uruguay*
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
*Indicates a country recently listed above "High" on the HDI. We will still consider applicants traveling to these destinations.
Do you meet the four primary requirements?
1.
Be a first-time traveler
Successful First Trip scholars are first-time travelers (first-time ever traveling outside of the United States).
2.
Be a student in an accredited U.S. college/university
Applicants must classify as a "student" at their respective college, regardless of part-time or full-time status.
3.
Pursue a college facilitated trip in an eligible destination
The study abroad trip must be organized by the student's college. First Trip does not fund trips that are not eligible destinations.
4.
Provide an account of your travels upon return to the U.S.
Awardees are asked to submit brief testimonials of their first experience abroad. Past scholars have included awesome photos and videos!
Ready to Apply?
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
You are encouraged to submit your application at least three (3) months in advance of your departure date.
Applicants unable to meet the above criteria will not be considered.
Successful scholarship applicants will be notified within 60 days of submission.
Due to the large volume of applications we receive, First Trip is unable to provide individual application status updates or give specific feedback regarding unanswered submissions.
