WAC Winter Backcountry Travel Class

About the Access Scholarship

We value having a community with diverse experiences in the Backcountry Travel course.

The Access Scholarship is a self-select in program intended to support the inclusion and participation of marginalized communities in the Backcountry Travel course. An Access Scholarship reduces the course fee by 30% (from $475 to $330). We seek to provide this to all applicants who self-select. There is limited scholarship funding available, if we are not able to fund all who self-select, recipients will be identified at-random from all applicants who have selected. Your self-selection will remain confidential to the course co-chairs and will not be shared with course instructors, other course participants or any members of the WAC. Receiving the scholarship does not come with any additional activities or responsibilities. If you have additional questions please don't hesitate to email us at wac-bc-chairs@googlegroups.com .

Should I Self-Select for an Access Scholarship?

When completing your application, we encourage you to self-select if you identify with any of the following statements, or for other reasons not listed here. This list is not intended to be comprehensive, but to provide examples that may help inform self-selection.

I identify as a member of a marginalized community (a group that experiences discrimination and exclusion because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions).

I do not have an undergraduate degree.

I am a single parent.

I am not a native English speaker.

I have sometimes accrued credit card debt in order to meet my basic needs.

I do not have a safety net of financially stable family members around me.

I am not currently a U.S. citizen.

I have found difficulty accessing and affording healthcare for me and/or my family members.

My income supports my loved ones, as well as myself.

I am unemployed or underemployed

I rarely have expendable income for entertainment, travel, and/or eating out.