Answers to the questions we hear most.

No. We do not require documentation, letters, or any formal verification of LGBTQ+ identity. You self-identify. The scholarship is built on the honor system — if you identify as LGBTQ+ and meet the other criteria, you are eligible to apply.

No tax returns, no financial forms. We ask you to describe your financial situation honestly in your application — what your income looks like, what barriers specifically make study abroad financially difficult. We review this qualitatively. We're looking for students for whom this scholarship changes the math, not students for whom it's a bonus.

Yes. Graduate students accepted to a program beginning in 2027 are eligible. The scholarship covers international experiences — language immersion, study abroad programs, international exchange — at the graduate level as well as undergraduate. If you're actively enrolled or have already received acceptance, you qualify on this criterion.

Yes. We require that you have a program "in mind or are actively researching one." If you know you want to study abroad and are in the process of narrowing down your options, that qualifies. Apply with what you know now. You have until January 15, 2027 — there is time to finalize program selection.

For the initial 2027 cohort, yes — U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency is required. This is a constraint of our first award cycle, not a permanent policy. We plan to expand eligibility in future cohorts. If you're not currently eligible but would be for a future cycle, subscribe to our newsletter and we'll announce when requirements change.

$20,000 is the maximum per scholar. Individual awards are sized to cover actual, documented costs — flights, housing, tuition fees, and living expenses — up to that ceiling. A shorter program in a lower cost-of-living destination may receive a smaller award. A full semester in an expensive city may reach the maximum. Awards are determined during the review process based on your specific program costs.

No. This is a scholarship — not a loan, not a grant with strings, not income-share. You receive it. You go. You don't pay anything back. Ever.

Where possible, funds are disbursed directly to your program or institution to cover tuition and housing. Remaining funds for documented costs — flights, living expenses — go directly to you. We work out the specifics with each scholar individually after award notification. The goal is to make sure the money actually covers what it's supposed to cover, not to add bureaucratic friction.

The application takes most people 30–45 minutes. It includes basic contact and enrollment information, your financial situation description, a short essay about why you want to study abroad and why now, a description of the program you have in mind, and optional supporting materials. The minimum GPA is 2.5 — we're looking for effort, not perfection. There is no recommendation letter requirement. We built it to be completable by someone who is short on time and skeptical that it's worth trying.

Early applicants receive an acknowledgment and confirmation within two weeks. The review itself happens after the January 15, 2027 deadline — all applications are evaluated together. Applying early does not improve your chances of selection, but it gives you time to update or strengthen your application before the deadline if you want to.

Yes. Before the January 15, 2027 deadline, you can submit updated information or materials by contacting us directly. Reference your application and what you'd like to update. We'll attach it to your file. After the deadline, the application is closed for edits.

Wandering With Pride Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 99-3467744. You can verify this status at IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. The founder has invested $40,000 of personal capital into the organization and receives no salary. We are founding-stage — we're honest about that. The scholarship fund is actively being built before our first awards in 2027. Applications open now so we can build a full applicant pool while simultaneously building the scholarship fund. Both tracks run in parallel — by the January 2027 deadline, we intend to have commitments in place to fund the first cohort. Read the full story here.

75% of every donation goes directly to scholarship awards. The remaining 25% funds operations — the infrastructure required to run a legitimate nonprofit: legal compliance, payment processing, WanderLearn Scholar Prep programming, and administrative costs. We publish transparency reports. When they're out, they'll be in the newsletter first. See the full breakdown on the donate page.

Email hello@wanderingwithpride.org. We read everything and respond to every message — not with a ticket number, with an actual answer. For finance-related questions, contact finance@wanderingwithpride.org. You can also use the contact form.