Academy FAQs

Yes, international students are strongly encouraged to apply!

Global Citizen Year Academy is open to students aged 17-21 (at the start of the program). We believe that the leadership coursework and cohort experience will be meaningful to anyone within that age range, regardless of whether or not you’ve started college.

Yes, as long as you are between 17 and 21 years old at the start of the program.

Minerva’s Forum platform facilitates an incredible learning experience when everyone is able to participate fully. As part of our admissions process, we require that applicants complete an internet and systems check to ensure your hardware meets the requirements for Forum. This is to ensure all students have the best possible experience in our program.

In addition to the technology requirements, we encourage you to follow these best practices:

1. Confirm that you have a functioning webcam, headphones, and keyboard. Standard Apple headphones with a built-in microphone are perfectly fine. We recommend leaving your computer plugged in rather than running on battery.
2. Close all tabs and programs when participating to ensure you are not overloading your computer.
3. The Google Chrome browser is required. Please note that Firefox and Safari will not work, and that phones and tablets (even running Chrome) are not supported. If you do not have Chrome, you can download it here.

Visit globalcitizenyear.org/academy/apply to submit your application.

The online application takes roughly one hour to complete.

The priority admissions deadline is December 15, 2020 and the final admissions deadline is January 15, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

You can expect to receive your admissions decision within 2 weeks of applying. If you need your admissions decision sooner (for example, because of a college deferral request deadline), please email admissions@globalcitizenyear.org to discuss fast-tracking your application.

The application is non-binding so you should feel free to apply even if you aren't 100% certain you will do Global Citizen Academy if you're accepted. After acceptance you will have time to decide whether the program is right for you. And there will be many opportunities to connect with us and ask questions along the way.

The Academy is designed for hopeful and determined young people, aged 17-21, who are ready to get in the arena, level up and lead. We are looking to build a well-rounded global cohort that brings a diversity of experiences and perspectives. Strong candidates will demonstrate a commitment to self-reflection, learning, and collaboration.

This is the fun part! Our number one tip: don’t overthink it. We want to get to know you, learn about your passions, and better understand your motivations for participating in a leadership experience like Global Citizen Year Academy. The most important thing is that you answer the questions posed in the prompt, and that your motives for participating in this program are clear.

Some students get quite creative with their submissions, and many submit great videos in a simple straight to camera format. We encourage you to do whatever feels natural to you!

Yes, you will still need to apply for Global Citizen Year Academy, since there are elements of this application and program that are unique from the Fellowship.

However, there is no reason you wouldn't be a strong candidate for the Academy if we've admitted you to the Fellowship! So, we encourage you to bring the same passion and energy to the Academy application that made us say yes to you previously!

With that said, the $500 deposit you paid to secure your place in the Fellowship can be redirected as your $500 deposit for Global Citizen Year Academy, if you have not had it refunded.

We are pleased to offer a sliding scale model for Global Citizen Year Academy with tuition ranging from $500 to $5,000 (full tuition) on a payment plan schedule. We offer a 10% discount at each tuition tier to those families who wish to pay tuition in one payment.

Thanks to the support of our donors, we also have a limited number of need-based FULL SCHOLARSHIPS and deposit-only ($250) payment plans.

We ask that you pay at the highest level of the sliding scale that you can afford. This allows others who need to pay less the opportunity to attend. For more details, visit our page on Tuition & Financial Aid.

Although the full cost of tuition for the Academy is $5000, tuition is offered on a sliding scale to ensure this opportunity is accessible to the highest potential leaders, regardless of financial background. We ask that you pay at the highest level of the sliding scale that you can afford. This allows others who need to pay less the opportunity to attend. To ensure that the scholarship tiers are reserved for families with demonstrated financial need, income verification may be required.

Global Citizen Academy participants hail from all over the world: Mexico, Switzerland, Singapore, the U.S., and more! We're offering each course in numerous sections, so you'll be able to select the time that best aligns with your time zone and schedule. Students are between 17-21 years old, typically either on a gap year, finishing high school, or enrolled in college.

Watch this video to meet a few of the amazing students in our Fall 2020 cohort!

We will have multiple course sections to accommodate different time zones and schedules. We will decide on the times once we know what works for the global cohort, and we'll do our absolute best to make sure every Fellow can join a session that works for them!

Global Citizen Academy’s curriculum is designed to develop leadership skills from the inside out. Visit our Experience Page for full course descriptions and a sample schedule. Learning outcomes include:

• Know yourself: Develop skills that unlock self-awareness, well-being and a sense of purpose.
• Understand the world: Analyze local issues and connect them to our global context.
• Drive impact: Collaborate with peers from around the world to align your values and actions with meaningful impact.

At this time, college credit is not available.

Learn more about Minerva’s cutting-edge Forum learning platform here.

The spring semester will run from February 22 - May 14, 2021. This is a 12-week program.

The Academy is designed to be compatible with most schedules, whether you're in high school, on a gap year, or in college. Students should plan for an average weekly commitment of 5-10 hours a week. Each week students will engage in:

• 3.5 hours on the Active Learning Forum participating in engaging courses with faculty, peers, and cross-sector leaders from across the globe.
• Remaining hours completing pre-work, reflections, and course-related projects, both individually and as a group.

Global Citizen Year Academy requires a commitment of 5-10 hours per week, intentionally leaving you time for high school, college, work, or independent exploration of issues and projects you’re passionate about. Students looking for deeper engagement, can choose to volunteer with the Academy's Impact Partners -- worldwide at the forefront of confronting our climate crisis, ending racial inequity, preventing the next pandemic, and more. However you choose to follow your curiosity, the Academy will provide a wrap-around structure to support you in reaching your goals.

Yes! Global Citizen Year Academy requires a commitment of 5-10 hours per week, and is intentioanlly designed to be compatible with a typical high school or college schedule. So long as you can manage the time commitments for both pursuits, the Academy will enhance your education, independent projects, programs or work by providing a meaningful layer of structure, support, and purpose.

Each student will be assigned one mentor and will be required to complete a series of mentoring conversations that follow the arc of the program. Additionally, mentors will support students in setting goals and creating action plans to develop their leadership as a practice. Mentoring sessions will be conducted virtually--by phone or video conference--and will be scheduled directly between student and mentor at the initiation of the student.

Mentors are Global Citizen Year alumni and other professionals who bring expertise in select areas. They are recruited by our team, and chosen for their knowledge and willingness to share and support Academy students. We review information about each potential mentor before adding them to our list. Mentors also receive guidance on how to effectively and appropriately connect with our students, and they are required to sign a code of conduct which conveys our expectations.

Mentors working with students who are 17 or younger will be asked to undergo a background check. Mentors working with students 18 and older will not undergo background checks. While Global Citizen Year believes these mentors will have a positive impact on our students, mentors are not employees of Global Citizen Year and Global Citizen Year does not oversee or control their activities. Thus, Global Citizen Year is not responsible for their conduct. If you have any questions or concerns about mentors, please let us know at academy@globalcitizenyear.org.

Yes. All Global Citizen Year Academy students must agree to our Code of Conduct. These community expectations are key to providing a respectful and welcoming space where all participants feel encouraged to share their viewpoints.