Financial Assistance

Choosing to travel with ARCC during your gap year is a big decision and we’re glad you’re considering us! The semester you take with us is no doubt going to be a life-changing one full of new cultures, friends, experiences, and accomplishments.

As you prepare, something we don’t want you to be discouraged by is the price tag that accompanies a gap semester. Although the tuition of ARCC Programs is competitive within the gap year field, we understand that affording our programs may be impossible for some students. To make ARCC more accessible, we offer need-based financial assistance.

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How it works

  • Fill Out our Brief Online Application

    Select “paying by check” to waive the $800 deposit, which is not required to begin the financial aid process.

  • Complete Full Application

    Upon receipt of your online application, an ARCC staff member will send you ARCC’s financial aid application, detailed student application, and references. These will need to be completed and returned to ARCC.

  • Tell Us Why

    Craft a cover letter and procure a copy of your parents’ most recent Tax returns OR a copy of your FAFSA. Your cover letter should include: 1) Your reasons for why you’d like to participate in an ARCC Gap Semester and why we should consider you as a financial aid recipient. 2) How you think ARCC would benefit from your participation. 3) How much tuition you and your family can contribute toward an ARCC program. 4) A parent statement explaining why you are requesting aid. 5) Anything else we should know about your family’s financial situation.

  • Send us All the Documents

    Submit all materials listed above to [email protected].

  • Schedule an Interview

    Once we have received your application materials, we will reach out to you within 2 – 3 weeks. If you are selected as a candidate for financial aid, we will reach out to you to set up your video interview.

  • Get Approved

    After our interview, the Gap Team will determine ARCC’s ability to provide an aid award and will follow up via email.

Additional Information

Timeline:

ARCC typically sends out financial aid awards in May for the fall season and in October for the spring season. Please note that additional aid may be awarded thereafter depending on availability and enrollment.

Confidentiality:

All financial aid applications will be kept in strictest confidence. Only senior staff will evaluate them. They will be destroyed at the end of the season. No participants on the program will know of the financial aid awarded to your family.

Outside Aid Recommendations:

We recommend exploring outside options alongside your ARCC financial aid application! Students have found many creative ways to fund their experience with ARCC, including Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Letter Writing Campaigns, and much more. For a list of outside scholarships, we invite you to visit our list of independent Scholarships, Grants, and Financial Assistance.

If you have any questions about ARCC Gap’s Financial Aid process, please call (415) 332-5075 ext 2 or email us and we’ll be happy to support you!

Financial Assistance, Inclusion, and Diversity

ARCC strives to provide equal opportunities for all students regardless of race, sex, religion, age, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, economic status, or political affiliation, and are committed to upholding these standards in all aspects of our organization. These are opportunities that we provide to students regardless of their background throughout the entirety of our recruitment, admission, travel, and reentry process.

A gap year is something that we hope to make accessible for all students, regardless of their background, and work to level the playing field for students so that they may have a successful opportunity for education, travel, growth and self-discovery post-high school. We strive to uphold these pillars of our organization through a variety of means, including but not limited to:

ARCC Financial Aid:

ARCC has set aside a pool of funds to partially sponsor students who are unable to afford the full tuition of the program. More information is provided above.

ARCC Voyagers Scholarship:

ARCC is committed to increasing accessibility for our programs and supporting socioeconomic diversity within our community. ARCC’s Voyagers Scholarship provides up to five scholarship opportunities per semester to students who identify within the BIPOC community. These scholarships can range anywhere from $5,000-$8,000, and also includes gear lending and mentorship support throughout the gap year experience. The Voyagers Scholarship can also be combined with ARCC Financial Aid. If you are interested in applying, please reach out to [email protected]

Outside Financial Assistance:

ARCC provides a variety of resources that students can research and apply to for financial aid here on our Financial Aid page. These include third party scholarships, grants, and financial aid, as well as fundraising ideas to help students from diverse backgrounds find a number of ways to fund their experience with ARCC.

College Credit:

Through our partnership with Portland State University and the Gap Year Association, students have the option to receive up to 18-quarter hours of college credit during their gap semester with ARCC. This program allows our students to complete the required assignments while remaining fully engaged in the trip and group dynamics. These credits are affordable, when compared to standard college credit tuition, and also unlock the use of 529 funds that can be applied to an ARCC Gap program.

Payment Plans:

We offer students and families the option to pay for their semester tuition in small increments over a period of time to lessen the burden of having to pay for the tuition in full upfront. Please ask us for more information regarding this option.

Gear Lending Program:

Gear for a semester abroad can end up amounting to a large financial burden for some families. ARCC has a gear lending program where students can borrow certain items that we have in-house for the duration of their program, which are then returned at the end of the semester for use by another student. Furthermore our packing list includes a list of online discount gear options to help ease that financial burden as well.