Scholarships & Opportunities

Overview

The RC helps students pay for learning that happens outside the classroom. Since 2008, RC students have received over $250,000 in funding.

What the RC funds

Study abroad
Internships(unpaid and low-paying)
Language immersion
Research, including Honors Thesis work
Semester in Detroit
Other academic experience

Application Closed for Spring/Summer 2026

Hannah Brauer, RC '20, in Heredia Province, Costa Rica at La Catarata de La Paz [La Paz Waterfall]. "Someone yelled 'Go Blue!' from the top of the waterfall as this photo was taken!"

Online RC Scholarship Application Form - Closed

LSA Travel Registration

Essay/Budget Template

Before You Apply

Award Range: $150 - $2,500
Eligibility/Who Can Apply: Current Residential College students (or LSA students with declared RC Major/Minor) who have completed the applicant pre-reading materials. Some scholarships require FAFSA submission.
Application Materials/What you'll submit: Online form, one essay response, budget request.
When can you apply: Applications open each term and are reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply 6-8 weeks before your program (e.g., study abroad) begins. To confirm the application window or for any questions, contact rc.communications@umich.edu.

How to Apply

Complete the required applicant pre-reading explaining the process in detail.
Write your essay response (500–700 words), answering one of the three essay prompts. Your response determines your eligibility across all RC scholarship funds, so you only write it once.
Complete the online application form (include essay, budget, FAFSA info if applicable, recommender details if required) linked.
- Note: Traveling outside the US? Your travel must be registered with CGIS / LSA Travel prior to any funding.
Submit 6-8 weeks before your program begins (allow additional time if submitting during semester break).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose which fund to apply to?

You do not need to choose a fund. You complete one application. The RC Scholarship Committee will review your essay, budget, and application details, and match you to the fund or funds that fit best for your submitted purpose.

The RC awards from seven endowed funds. Each has its own donor intent and requirements:

Brown Scholarship for Students in the World (need-based)
Honeli Award for Student Engagement
Jean McGuire Language Study Award
Residential College Scholarship Award
Rose Silverman Award for Engaged Learning in the RC
Rose Silverman International Educational Scholarship (need-based)
William S. Blackford Scholarship (need-based)

Please make sure you complete the pre-reading. Below are some examples.

The Brown Scholarship is a need-based fund that supports off-campus experiences designed to enrich a student’s education. Whether domestically or abroad, the scholarship helps students engage in activities that enhance their academic and personal development.

Student-designed projects abroad examples include research in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London; a student-designed internship with the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg; and research for an Honors Thesis with Sepp Holzer, a leader in permaculture design.

Details

FAFSA Required: Yes
International Travel Required: No
Supported Activities: Off-campus experiences that enhance the student’s University experience, either domestically or abroad.

The Honeli Award encourages students to engage with communities through volunteer work, internships, and outreach programs. It aims to foster a sense of civic responsibility and global citizenship by supporting students in activities that have a positive impact on communities. Recipients are encouraged to share a final project or impact statement such as a work of art, thesis, or other material at the conclusion of their project or experience.

Details

FAFSA Required: No
International Travel Required: No
Supported Activities: Volunteer work, internships, alternative study programs, and community outreach activities in Detroit, across the US, and globally.

This award supports students pursuing language studies abroad. It encourages students to immerse themselves in another culture while improving their language skills, an experience deemed invaluable for personal and academic growth.

Details

FAFSA Required: No
International Travel Required: Yes
Supported Activities: Language study abroad; academic or experiential.

This scholarship offers financial support to students based on academic or other significant achievements or needs. It is a general scholarship fund intended to ease the financial burden of education for deserving students in the Residential College at the discretion of the RC administration.

Details

FAFSA Required: No
International Travel Required: No
Supported Activities: Grants or payments to support education based on academic or other achievements.

Brown Scholarship

Details

FAFSA Required: Yes
International Travel Required: No
Supported Activities: Off-campus experiences that enhance the student’s University experience, either domestically or abroad.

Honeli Award

Details

FAFSA Required: No
International Travel Required: No
Supported Activities: Volunteer work, internships, alternative study programs, and community outreach activities in Detroit, across the US, and globally.

Jean McGuire Language Study

Details

FAFSA Required: No
International Travel Required: Yes
Supported Activities: Language study abroad; academic or experiential.

Residential College Scholarship

Details

FAFSA Required: No
International Travel Required: No
Supported Activities: Grants or payments to support education based on academic or other achievements.

How do I find internships?

You should be paid for your work. Start with paid opportunities: many RC and LSA internships are paid, and the Opportunity Hub lists paid roles.

RC faculty-sponsored independent study - many RC faculty sponsor internships in the visual arts, social sciences, and other disciplines. Talk with your professor.
Spanish Language Internship Program (SLIP) - service-learning placements with partnered community organizations and schools serving the Latino community.
Semester in Detroit - placements with Detroit community and cultural organizations, selected in November; students spend 16 hours per week on community projects through the semester.
LSA Opportunity Hub - domestic and international internship listings, plus funding information.

If the internship that best fits your goals turns out to be unpaid or low-paying, RC funding might be able to help cover travel, living, and other costs.

I'm not accepted to my program yet, can I still apply for funding?

I've been offered an unpaid internship. Can the RC help with the costs?

Can I travel anywhere? What about travel restrictions?

Be aware that potential U-M travel restrictions, limitations and changes to requirements/availability for funding (particularly study/internship/research abroad) may occur after publication of this information after you apply, and/or before your program begins, given how public health and other circumstances are in flux.

These changes may require the RC to withhold funds that were offered, though this will be explained in email communications with applicants should this unfortunate circumstance occur.

Do I need a FAFSA to be eligible for RC funding?

Each fund has specific requirements for eligibility. Several require that students have submitted a FAFSA for the current aid year.

If you did not complete a FAFSA for the current academic year, and your financial situation has changed since the FAFSA deadline, AND you can demonstrate need, please include that information in your application.

Students without a FAFSA can still apply!

I'm confused about the application. Who can I talk to?

I've submitted my application. When will I hear back?

Every application is read by a committee of RC faculty and staff, who review your essay and budget and match you to the funds that fit your purpose best. The committee reviews on a rolling schedule, so there is normally a wait between submitting and hearing back.

If it has been more than 10 weeks since you applied, email rc.communications@umich.edu. Occasionally an application or a recommendation letter doesn't come through, and we would rather check than have you keep waiting.