Richter Scholarship Program
The Richter Scholar awards are available for graduate and undergraduate students for the purpose of globally-oriented independent study in foreign countries. Due to COVID-19, we may consider also funding globally-oriented projects within the U.S. as well. For example, a U.S.-based student might travel to Little Havana in Miami to research Cuban immigrant experiences.
Students are encouraged to pursue enriching, broadening projects that have the promise of being life-changing. To enrich the independent study experience, each student is required to have a faculty mentor for their project.
We anticipate awarding Richter Scholarships to undergraduate students in summer 2022. Due to Covid-19, there may be travel restrictions, quarantine expectations, and visa requirements for foreign travel.
Travel Pre-Authorization: Under current WFU policy due to Covid, all WFU-sponsored international travel requires pre-authorization. When preparing your Richter application, consider carefully the safety of your destination. Consult the list of countries for which the US State Department has issued travel advisories. If your country is on this list, you must petition the Overseas Crisis Management Team (OCMT) to travel to this country, and you might want to have a backup plan! You also must check to see if there are any visa requirements for travel to your destination. The OCMT is responsible for reviewing and approving all University-sponsored international travel to areas considered “High Risk”. This includes travel to locations where: (a) the U.S. State Department has issued a Travel Advisory Level 4 or Level 3 ; (b) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Warning Level 3 health notice; or (c) the OCMT and/or University has deemed significant health, safety, or security risks are present.
Important details to consider:
- The Richter Scholarship awards up to $6,000 to cover travel and living expenses. Students must develop a budget as part of their application.
- Due to the number of eligible applicants and limited scholarship funding, students may only receive the Richter Scholars award once.
- Applications require mentorship from a Wake Forest University faculty mentor during the development and completion of the project.
- Richter Scholarships are NOT designed to support credit-bearing “study abroad” programs, and therefore do not provide tuitions or fees to other institutions may be made with Richter funds.
- Richter Scholarships do not support equipment costs (e.g., cameras) or collaborator expenses (e.g., translators, consultants).
- Awardees are required to take INS 150 (details in accordion below in the FAQ), a one-credit pass-fail course during the second half of the Spring semester, to support their cross-cultural experience
- Applications for Summer 2023 will open in early December 2023.