The Center for Ecological Living and Learning (CELL) is an official Northland College partner and a nonprofit educational organization inspiring students to bring creative, systemic solutions and environmental stewardship to your life and leadership positions. You live with host families and/or in lodging run by community partners and have classes, lectures, field experiences, and service-learning opportunities in the region where your program is conducted. Programs are currently offered in Iceland, Central America (Costa Rica and Nicaragua), Ecuador, and Scotland.

• Application Form
• Registration Form

HECUA has a forty-plus year history of leading students out of the classroom and into real relationships with people and organizations working for change. HECUA’s academically rigorous programs in Ecuador, Italy, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, and the United States focus on the need for equity, social change, and imaginative approaches to difficult problems. Each semester-long program aims to empower students and highlight their ability to advocate effectively for change in the world and at home.

In the United States, HECUA’s long standing relationships with community partners in St. Paul and Minneapolis allow for meaningful internships at a range of placement sites. Students benefit from the guidance and support of HECUA’s internships and community partnerships manager, who meets with participants multiple times throughout the semester. Program alumni report that HECUA programs facilitate access to advanced study, employment, and engagement in their communities and in the world.

Programs in the United States are divided into specific areas of interest, such as inequality in America, art for social change, environmental sustainability, media for change, agriculture and justice, and race in American. All programs are based in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, unless otherwise indicated.

Located in Osaka, Japan, Kansai Gaidai offers special programming in Japanese language and culture designed for international students. It is a four-year, accredited university that attracts several thousand students annually. Kansai Gaidai has cooperated in formal exchange agreements with more than 100 colleges and universities in the United States. Fluency in Japanese is not required as many courses are taught in English.

NOLS takes people of all ages on remote wilderness expeditions, teaching technical outdoor skills, leadership, and environmental ethics in some of the world’s wildest and most awe-inspiring classrooms. With courses ranging from ten days to a full academic year, NOLS attracts highly motivated students who want to learn how to lead. The hands on, learn-by-doing approach means that graduates get the skills they need to be competent, responsible wilderness travelers long after your course is over.

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• Registration Form

Northland College has paired up with Outward Bound, the premier provider of experience-based outdoor leadership programs. Outward Bound courses change lives and give you the tools to see further, climb higher and know your way.

Seek challenge and embark on a backpacking trip, mountaineering class, kayaking adventure, sailing trip or an urban expedition in your community and take home real leadership skills and the courage to follow your own path. Courses are not guided trips. They are real expeditions that cross rugged, beautiful terrain with challenges designed to reveal your strengths.

• Registration Form
• How to Earn Academic Credit
• Academic Credit Form

Round River is an ecological research and education organization whose goal is the formulation and implementation of conservation strategies that conserve and restore wilderness. To that end, they strive to develop and support traditions that sustain wildness. These efforts are anchored in the principles of conservation biology, supported by field research and community planning.

Round River semester and summer programs are entirely field-based, authentic experiences that offer the opportunity for small groups of students to contribute to actual conservation efforts in big, wild landscapes. Students from diverse backgrounds from the sciences to humanities study and work hard to immerse themselves in the ecology and culture of a place.

Round River has offered programs in Mongolia, Botswana, Chile, Belize, Costa Rica, Namibia, and British Columbia. Check their website for their current program offerings.

• Application Form
• Registration Form

WRFI is a unique organization whose courses explore the complex cultural, political and natural histories of some of the most interesting and beautiful landscapes in North America. A combination of rigorous academic inquiry, cultural immersion, and extended backcountry expeditions, the courses are designed to take students into the arenas where the subject matter they are studying—from ecology to contemporary resource management policy—unfolds before their eyes.

If you are studying primary education, environmental studies, or health and social policy you have an opportunity to study abroad with an equal tuition exchange at the University of Glasgow Dumfries campus in Scotland. Take advantage of small-group, innovative programming at their School of Interdisciplinary Studies. Northland education faculty are also involved in program collaboration with the University of Glasgow. Contact Kevin Zak for more information.

»Guidelines
»Personal Statement Directions
»Application

To supplement the financial aid currently available for international study courses or programs, McLean International Travel Grants are awarded through a competitive application process. For more information, contact Michaela Wickman.

Guidelines

The McLean International Travel Grant application process is conducted twice each academic year, once during the fall term and once during the winter term. Applications will be accepted only during these times.

• Fall term applications will be accepted from September 15 through October 15 with applicants notified no later than November 1.
• Winter term applications will be accepted from January 15 – February 15 with applicants notified no later than March 1.

Notification of applications are set out via email within the first two weeks of class, approximately September 15 and January 15.

When to Apply
Students planning winter, spring, or summer travel should apply during the fall term. Students planning fall travel should apply during the winter term.

Eligibility
To be eligible for a McLean Grant, students must be degree seeking at Northland College. Students may apply for a McLean Travel Grant more than once; however, preference will be given to first-time applicants.

Award Criteria
Travel grants are awarded based on academic standing, financial need, the quality of a personal statement describing the significance of this travel opportunity to the student, and available funding. Applications for the grants are evaluated on the following criteria:

• • student academic standing
  • basis of financial need
  • nature of proposed international study
  • clarity and quality of written statement
  • available funding

McLean Travel Grants are meant to be supplemental. Students will need additional funds to finance the majority of their program and travel expenses.

Award Disbursement
McLean funds may be applied to Northland College courses that include international travel, or to other pre-approved international travel for which academic credit will be earned. Trips within the United States do not qualify.

The awarded McLean Grant will be distributed through the Office of Financial Aid once the students acceptance and registration in the course or program are confirmed.

Personal Statement Directions

Within the application below, you must upload a one- to two-page typed statement describing your interest in studying internationally. Your statement should reflect upon the following elements:

1. Motivation and Research
   Tell us what you know about the international program you would like to participate in and demonstrate what you have discovered in your research including a list of the personal attributes you think may be required by a student participating in the program.
   For example, why have you chosen the program you have, do you know what the overseas workload entails, how will you be assessed, and why is this is good choice for your studies. Perhaps you have personal reasons for wanting to go to a particular part of the World. We are looking for you to show us why you want to participate in the international program, how you will/have been preparing to study overseas and how you will handle challenges and seek out opportunities.
2. Representing Northland College
   Provide details on when you have represented a school, club, organization (or something similar) and what skills this has given you that will benefit you on this program.
3. Prior Relevant Experience
   If you have spent time overseas, please tell us more about what you were doing, how you prepared for this, how you overcame any hardships and what your time overseas taught you. If you have not spent time overseas please provide an example of when you have been in a difficult situation and how you resolved the issues you were faced with. How you went about this, who did you ask for help, how was the situation resolved and what did you learn from it?
4. Additional Details
   Please feel free to provide details of other experiences you have had that you feel are relevant to your participation in international programs. These do not need to be exclusively travel related. For example, have you lived or worked away from home or have you always wanted to, do you have friends or family who are on/have studied or lived abroad?

Application

The Brother Bear Award is funded from an endowment established in memory of Northland College student Bjorn Erik Norgaard. The award supports international study for students with financial need. The scholarship amount available for each funding cycle varies.

McClean International Travel Grant applicants are eligible for this scholarship. For more information, contact Michaela Wickman.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. This scholarship provides awards for US undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide. Learn more.

Study Abroad include numerous international scholarships and criteria information. A study abroad scholarship is a monetary award for students to use toward the expenses of their program such as travel, course credits, books, and lodging. Students must apply for scholarships and some can be very competitive while others are underutilized. There are several types of study abroad scholarships to apply. Learn more.