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3995 Fashion Square Boulevard
Saginaw, MI, 48603
United States

800.833.6243

Intercultural student exchange programs for high school students, 
teenagers, youth, host families, schools & communities to more than 70
foreign countries.

Karla Topolka Scholarship

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Karla Topolka Scholarship Programs

Eligible Countries

Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium-Flanders, Belgium-Wallonia, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand , Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Romania,Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay

Please refer to individual country pages for program duration and departure times Previous language study may be required.

Programs

Fall Semester, Fall Year

Deadline

Feb 28, 2024

Scholarship Amount

This is a $5,000 scholarship.

Eligibility

  • Sophomore or Junior standing at the time of application

  • Must enroll in a semester or year-long study abroad program (summer and short-term programs not eligible)

  • Students must demonstrate financial need; please see the link to the FACTS application. FACTS is an independent, third party that assesses student eligibility for tuition assistance. For information about FACTS and the application process, please download the FACTS Information Sheet

Age Requirements

Students must meet the age requirements listed on the individual country pages.

Complete Application Includes

  • Complete Online Application

  • 3 Short Answer Essay Questions

  • $75 Application Fee (non-refundable)

  • Candid and Headshot photos

Additional required information post-application submission includes:

  • Teacher Recommendation

  • Health certificate

  • School certificate

  • Parent-student agreement

  • Interview by YFU VolunteerCompleted 

  • FACTS application (due date March 15)

Application Fees

  • $75 Nonrefundable YFU Application Fee (paid directly to YFU)

  • $40 FACTS Application Fee to Assess Financial Need (paid directly to FACTS)

Scholarship Covers

  • Round-trip airline travel (domestic & international)

  • Placement with a carefully selected host family

  • School Placement

  • Local pre-departure orientation for recipient and parents

  • National pre-departure orientation for recipient

  • Preparatory materials

  • 24-hour student support services in host country

  • Comprehensive Insurance

Scholarship Recipients are Responsible for

  • Passport

  • Visa fees (if necessary)

  • Any excess luggage tariffs

  • Personal spending money

  • Final program report and photos, due within one month of return, detailing the exchange experience that will be shared with the Topolka Family

PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THIS PAGE AND YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS FOR YOUR REFERENCE.

Notes

Scholarship programs are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice. The FACTS application fee for financial aid assessment, due September 15, is an additional $40, paid to FACTS directly. The applicant can pay $40 and apply for as many financial-need-based scholarships as they qualify and YFU offers. Students must be approved to go on a YFU program before YFU can consider them for financial aid scholarships. For this reason, students may want to wait to submit their FACTS application until after they are accepted into the YFU program. 

If applying for multiple scholarships, please indicate each scholarship's name and code on your application. All scholarship recipients are required to travel on the YFU group travel dates, and to complete the entire program. For more information regarding YFU and the scholarship selection process call 1.800.TEENAGE or refer to the Scholarships Overview section of this web site.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • To be eligible for the Karla Topolka Scholarship, students must be in their sophomore or junior year at the time of application. They must enroll in a semester or year-long study abroad program (summer and short-term programs are not eligible) and demonstrate financial need, as assessed through the FACTS application. The FACTS application is an independent, third-party assessment of student eligibility for tuition assistance.

  • Yes, applicants must meet the age requirements specified on the individual country pages.

  • A complete application for the scholarship includes an online YFU application, a host family letter, a health certificate, a parent-student agreement, a school certificate, one teacher recommendation, responses to three short answer essay questions, five candid photos, one profile picture (headshot), and a completed FACTS application (due by September 15).

  • There is a $75 nonrefundable YFU Application Fee (paid directly to YFU) and a $40 FACTS Application Fee to Assess Financial Need (paid directly to FACTS).

  • The scholarship covers round-trip airline travel (both domestic and international), placement with a carefully selected host family, school placement, local pre-departure orientation for recipients and parents, national pre-departure orientation for recipients, preparatory materials, 24-hour student support services in the host country, and comprehensive insurance.

  • Scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining a passport, paying visa fees if necessary, covering any excess luggage tariffs, having personal spending money, and providing a final program report and photos within one month of return, detailing the exchange experience to be shared with the Topolka Family.

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