Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for the scholarships?

All Lewis & Clark College law, graduate, and undergraduate students with federal financial aid are eligible. International students with aid from their countries are also eligible.

 

Do I need to fill out a form before I can receive aid?

Yes. Students need to fill out and sign a form says they are applying for financial aid, that they acknowledge that they have a federal financial aid award, and that they give College Outdoors permission to verify this award. They must also acknowledge that they accept the conditions of the scholarship award (on the back of the form and listed below). They can fill this form out in the office during regular hours or by dropping it off in our drop-box next to the sign up sheets.

 

Will you be able to see the details of my financial information when looking to see if I am qualified?

No, we will only know if you have federal financial aid but not how much you receive.

 

Where does the funding come from for the scholarships?

As of now, the funding comes from ASLC (specifically from Finance Committee and the Community Relations Committee). In the future, we aim to support these scholarships via our own reservoir fund.

 

Can I contribute to the funding for future years?

Yes, we are in the process of being able to accept donations from anyone interested in contributing to the Scholarship Fund. For more information on how, click here.

 

How much money is allotted to a trip?

Each trip is allotted a calculated amount based on how much is needed to run it.

 

How much money will students receive for a trip?

Students will receive an equal amount of aid for each trip. If a trip has $120 allotted to it and all 9 of the possible participants are eligible, then each student would receive $120/9 = $13.33 out of a total trip price of $30, for example. For all of our trips, each student would receive between 40% and 80% of the trip fee, depending on the total amount of participants who are eligible.

 

Why do students of all amounts of federal financial aid receive the same amount per trip ?

There are two main reasons for this decision. The first is that keeping all allotted aid equal between students was a requirement of ASLC for funding. Second, this allows for a less-invasive protocol in giving out the scholarships.

 

What if I’m a student coordinator? Do I receive the 50% off that comes with the coordinator responsibilities or do I receive the aid that would be alloted to me otherwise?

As a student coordinator who qualifies for our scholarship program, you’ll receive the most possible aid - either 50% off from being a student coordinator or between 50-80% off for qualifying for aid from our scholarship program. 

Is there a limit on how much scholarship money is offered?

Yes. We will offer up to 80% of the trip fee in order to discourage students from signing up for a trip but then deciding not to go later on.

 

Are the scholarships available for all trips?

Almost all of our trips offered have scholarships available for them. The WFR course and WFR-Recert courses do not however have scholarships available at the moment.

 

Can you receive a scholarship for more than one trip?

Yes, you can receive scholarships for as many trips as you sign up for if you qualify. If you do not show up for two trips however, you will lose your eligibility for scholarships for the semester.

 

Is there a maximum number of people offered scholarships for a trip?

No. If every student signed up for a trip is eligible, then every student will receive aid (but just less than if only one or two were eligible).

 

Is there a time line when I have to sign up in order to qualify for a scholarship?

Yes. In order to qualify for aid, students will need to write their name on the sign up sheet within the first 4 days (from Friday at 9am to Monday at 5pm) of the trip sign up being posted. Days when trip sign ups are posted are listed on our website (click here for fall and here for spring) and in our brochure.

 

What happens if I miss this time line?

Financial aid is not guaranteed after this time period has passed.

 

When will I know how much aid I received?

On Monday at 5pm, students will receive an email with how much money they are allotted for the trip depending on how many people with financial aid signed up by that point.

 

If I only wrote my name on the sign up sheet for a trip within the first 4 days of the sign ups being posted, when do I need to pay for the trip?

Students have from Monday at 5pm to Tuesday at 5pm to pay for the trip. If they aren’t able to make it into the office from 9am-5pm on Tuesday, they can use our “after-hours” form and drop box located outside of our office. Instructions on how to pay are posted next to the drop box.

 

What happens if I don’t show up to the trip on the day-of?

If you aren’t able to make it to the trip on the day-of, you will most likely not receive a refund unless in the case of illness or other emergencies. If you don’t show up for two trips, you will lose your eligibility for scholarships for the rest of the semester.

If you have any further questions please feel free to give us a call at (503) 768-7116 or shoot us an email at outdoors@lclark.edu and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.