Is your Instagram feed fueled by a love for
travel and wanderlust? Do you also have plans to dedicate your time after college to public service? If so, the Voyager Scholarship may be the perfect opportunity for you.
Deadline: 4/1/2025
Available to: Rising College Juniors
Award Amount: Up to $50,000
The Voyager Scholarship is open to students who plan to enroll full-time in their junior year of study at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States in the fall or be transferring from a two-year to a four-year college for their junior academic year, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, have a demonstrated
commitment to public service and be planning to pursue a career in public service upon graduation to be considered for this award.
You must also be a United States (US) citizen, US permanent resident (holder of a Permanent Resident Card), or an individual granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA).
The Voyager Scholarship for Public Service
In 2022, the Obama Foundation and
Airbnb launched a joint scholarship initiative to help college students pay for their education, travel for work over the summer, and then continue their passion for exploring the world after graduation. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s not.
Who is the Obama Scholarship open to?
The Voyager Scholarship is open to rising juniors in the United States at accredited four-year colleges and universities. You must be finishing your sophomore year right now – or
transferring from a two-year community college to a four-year institution.
You must also have a 3.0 GPA and a commitment to public service, which is defined as "government, non-profit, or private sector work, ranging from school teachers, community organizers, social workers, entrepreneurs with ideas for socially impactful businesses, journalism, arts, and design — a range of fields through which people are committed to creating a more connected, just, and equitable world," according to
Obama.org.
Finally, you must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. permanent resident, or an individual with deferred action status under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program).
How can the Airbnb scholarship be used?
This scholarship is extremely comprehensive. First, you will receive a scholarship each year for your junior and senior college years. Any gap, up to $25,000, between your existing scholarships and
financial aid packages will be met through this award.
You will also receive a $10,000 stipend to use between your junior and senior year of college, which is referred to as the Summer Voyage in the scholarship package. You will design your own summer experience, such as an internship or mentorship, to take place anywhere in the world to broaden your horizons and understanding of a career in
public service.
After graduation, scholarship recipients will be able to take advantage of up to $2,000 in
Airbnb travel credit each year for up to 10 years to continue exploration in their field and make new connections.
Finally, you’ll be invited to the annual Fall Summit to meet with the Obamas, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky, and other Voyagers and alums. You will also be able to tap into the network of leaders and opportunities provided by the Obama Foundation through ongoing speaker series and events.
How do I apply for the Voyager Scholarship?
Students can only apply through the designated
online Voyager Scholarship portal. Additionally, applicants must provide an official college transcript that includes their name, school, grades, and credit hours for each course and the term in which the course was taken.
ISTS will determine financial needs using a methodology similar to that used by financial aid offices. Financial data will be requested during the application process.
Applications will be accepted until April 1, 2025, 11:59 p.m. CST. A scholarship committee will review all applications, and 100 winners will be notified in July of the final decision. The program then begins in September.
What happens after junior year? And then college graduation?
To remain eligible for their senior year, recipients must maintain a 2.5 GPA. Seniors are also invited to attend the Summit each year to stay engaged with the organization and meet other Voyagers, although attendance is not mandatory.
The Voyager Scholarship does not guarantee an
internship during the summer between junior and senior year, nor does it guarantee a job after college. You are to utilize the Summit to develop an internship or mentorship experience to complete during the Summer Voyage.
In both instances, however, recipients will be able to tap into the network of leaders and resources provided by the program as well as the Obama Foundation to create their Summer Voyage experience and to drive their
career trajectory after college graduation.
