FAQs

Do I have to be a US resident in order to apply?

No, you do not have to be a US resident. You do have to have a valid passport that’ll allow you to travel to the country your Summit Scholarship adventure takes place in. Some individual scholarships may have additional residency or nationality requirements — please review the details of the scholarships you are planning to apply for.

Is there an age limit to apply for the Summit Scholarship?

Yes, for legal reasons you have to be 18 years of age for most programs, and 14 years of age for some select adventures (at the time of the scholarship adventure that you are applying for). There is no upper age limit for the Summit Scholarship program and we frequently see applicants in their 60s or even 70s; we haven’t yet had any octogenarians apply, but surely that is bound to change!

Is the Summit Scholarship open to trans people and non-binary individuals?

The Summit Scholarship is open to all those who identify as women, cis and trans. If your gender experience transcends the binary, please check out our sibling initiative The Compass Collective, which was created in 2025 specifically to create opportunities for non-binary and gender-diverse adventurers.

Who are the guides for Summit Scholarship adventures?

All Summit Scholarship adventures are guided by our carefully vetted operating partners. We place great emphasis on finding affinity-based providers who create safe, authentic, supportive and empowering experiences for our scholarship recipients. Our 2025 operating partners are AWExpeditions and She Moves Mountains.

AWExpeditions offers mountaineering & backcountry expeditions that are designed for women and led by women. AWE partners carefully with vetted local operators and outfitters in each location, and each trip always has an AWE expedition leader as well as one or multiple local guides. 

She Moves Mountains creates an inclusive and empowering educational space for all women—including cisgender and transgender individuals—to realize their strengths through outdoor retreats and skills clinics.

Is the Summit Scholarship program welcoming to BIPOC applicants?

100%. We recognize that mountaineering and backcountry adventure is traditionally not just a male- but also a white-dominated experience, and we want to play an active part in changing that. More than half of our Summit Scholarship alumnae to-date identify as BIPOC women. We also recognize that the expedition teams of our sister organization AWExpeditions are still often heavily white, with white leaders, which increases our responsibility to create welcoming and inclusive environments for women from all backgrounds. We’re not perfect, but we (and AWE) take diversity and inclusion very seriously.

I would like to apply for several of the various Summit Scholarships that are available this year. Do I have to submit separate applications for each?

You are welcome to apply for multiple different scholarships but, yes, you do need to submit a separate application for each scholarship that you would like to be considered for. Please note that each application contains 1-2 questions that are specific to the exact scholarship you are applying to; make sure to take care to write a targeted response to each of those questions, rather than simply copying & pasting your entire application from one scholarship to the next.

I didn’t get a confirmation email — was my application received?

Yes, if you received an on-screen confirmation that your submission was successful. This is the only notification you will receive until after the end of the application period, at which time we’ll reach out to everyone who applied to let you know about next steps.

If I am not selected as a Summit Scholarship recipient, do you provide feedback on what could strengthen my application in future years?

We receive hundreds of applications each year; unfortunately we are not in a position to provide individualized feedback for all of our applicants. For general guidance on the Summit Scholarship selection process, please take a look at our application tips & tricks here.

I applied for a previous edition of the Summit Scholarship but wasn’t selected — can I apply again?

Yes, absolutely! You are welcome to re-apply.

What happens if I am awarded a Summit Scholarship but, due to some unforeseen reason, I am unable to participate in the expedition my scholarship was for?

Each scholarship is for a specific date & destination. Unfortunately we have extremely limited flexibility in transferring scholarships. Please ensure that you are available for the scholarship dates that you are applying for!

Why do you do all this?

The mountains can be an incredible source of peace, connectedness, and growth. All of us at the Summit Scholarship Foundation have experienced some degree of that mountain magic first-hand, and we want to open up access to that powerful experience to others who may not have an obvious path to get there on their own.

Read more about our mission and motivation: Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure - What Is It, and Why Does It Matter