Applications are Now Open for the 2026 Global Travel Scholars Program!
The Global Travel Scholars program provides full scholarships to selected current sophomores and juniors (age 16+ as of February 1, 2026) with financial need to participate in a summer program abroad through World Learning’s The Experiment in International Living.
To be considered, students must complete a TWO-PART application process by Tuesday, January 6, 2026:
– Note: Answer Yes to the question on the first Program Selection page, Were you nominated by your sponsoring organization? Then, choose World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh from the drop-down list provided.
Who’s Eligible? In order to be eligible for the Global Travel Scholars program, students must:
Be a current sophomore or junior in high school (16+ as of Feb 1, 2026)
Live in the Pittsburgh area or be an active member of a Global Minds Chapter
Have not traveled outside of the United States or Canada, except in the case of immigrants or refugees to the United States who have lived abroad
Would not be able to travel without a full scholarship
Learn more by watching our virtual info session below!
The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh’s Global Travel Scholars program provides a full scholarship to selected high school sophomores and juniors with financial need to participate in a summer program abroad through World Learning’s The Experiment in International Living.
In this program, learning lasts beyond the three weeks you’ll spend abroad. Before the summer, you’ll participate in workshops on topics like cultural humility, privilege, and identity. And after, you’ll improve public speaking and leadership skills through a storytelling event and a group project!
Travel abroad programs last three to five weeks and involves a combination of host family stays, language training, community service, and outdoor adventures. Since 2004, we have sent over 170 students to more than 30 countries including Argentina, Australia, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mongolia, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tanzania, and Thailand.
Developing a network of globally-minded peers, students leave this program better prepared to lead in an increasingly globally connected world.
“The Global Travel Scholarship program gets you ready for the real world in ways that one, you willbe nervous about and two, you won’t be ready for, but that’s what makes it exciting.”
– Anicet Mundumdu, Global Travel Scholar to South Africa
Watch the recording to the 2025 Welcome Home Celebration from October 27, 2025 at City of Asylum!
In this program, learning lasts beyond the three weeks you’ll spend abroad. Before the summer, you’ll participate in workshops on topics like cultural humility, privilege, and identity. And after, you’ll improve public speaking and leadership skills through a storytelling event and a group project!
