Young people deserve to experience the world beyond their college campuses, but not everyone can afford to travel, especially if you’re on a student budget.
The Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship is awarded biannually to passionate students who want to explore the world.
At Tortuga, our mission is to make travel easier, including for study abroad and gap year students. When customers buy luggage from us, they are "paying it forward" by funding scholarships for students like you.
The Scholarship
The winner of the Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship will receive:
- $1,000 scholarship for studying abroad
- 1 travel backpack
The scholarship may be used for tuition, room and board, books, or travel. Funds will be sent directly to the winner's study abroad program or university. In cases where this is not possible, alternative arrangements will be made.
Eligibility Requirements
To apply for the Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or currently studying in the United States on a student visa
- Be a full-time undergraduate student in good academic standing at a four-year, degree-granting college or university in the United States
- Have applied to or been accepted into a study abroad program eligible for credit by your college or university
Please check your eligibility before applying.
Important Dates
Spring 2023 Scholarship
Submit your application by November 15, 2022. The winner will be announced on November 30, 2022.
Fall 2023 Scholarship
Submit your application by April 15, 2023. The winner will be announced on April 30, 2023.
How to Apply
Before applying, read all of the instructions and eligibility requirements on this page.
Then, fill out the application linked below. Only one submission per person will be accepted.
The winner will be featured on our blog, social media accounts, and alumni page.
For any questions, contact us.
Disclaimer
All written submissions become property of Tortuga and may be posted on our website, blog, social media accounts, or elsewhere as we see fit.
You will not be added to any mailing lists by applying for the scholarship. If you are interested in Tortuga products, you can join our newsletter by signing up in the footer of this page.
Other Opportunities
Summer and Winter Term Scholarships
For now, the scholarship is limited to the spring and fall semesters. We may add summer or winter term scholarships in the future.
Gap Year Scholarships
Tortuga is a proud supporter of the Gap Year Association (GYA).
The Gap Year Association is a nonprofit membership community for educators, students, gap year programs, and post-secondary institutions with a shared vision of making at least a semester of quality gap year time accessible to every high school graduate.
We work together with GYA to reward a gap year scholarship to one student each year. For more information, please visit the Gap Year Association website.
Alumni
Winners will be contacted via email. We will add each semester's winner to this section on the dates above.
Fall 2022
Thomas from Northeastern University who is studying abroad in Ireland.
Spring 2022
Helena from the University of Southern California who is studying abroad in Spain.
Spring 2020
Emily from the University of Texas in Austin who is studying abroad in Singapore.
Fall 2019
Alexis from Grove City College who is studying abroad in Brazil.
Spring 2019
Abraham from Loyola University of Maryland who is studying abroad in New Zealand.
Fall 2018
Emily from the University of Mississippi who is studying abroad in Morocco.
Spring 2018
Will from Harvard University who is studying abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Fall 2017
Brianna from Indiana University who is studying abroad in Lima, Peru.
Spring 2017
Melissa from St. John's University who is studying abroad in Rome, Seville, and Paris.
Fall 2016
Tanner from Brigham Young University who is studying abroad in Jordan.
Spring 2016
Blair from Florida State University who is studying abroad in England.
Fall 2015
George from the University of Akron who is studying abroad in Italy.
Spring 2015
Ashley from Otterbein University who is studying abroad in Nepal.
About Tortuga
The Tortuga Study Abroad Scholarship is sponsored by Tortuga.
Tortuga was founded in 2010 by childhood best friends Fred Perrotta and Jeremy Michael Cohen after a backpacking trip to Eastern Europe. We couldn't find the perfect travel backpack, so we made it. Read more about Tortuga.