Bluffton University

Application and financial information

Application Dates

• Applications for May/June 2025 experiences will be accepted electronically between 8 a.m. Oct. 22 and 5 p.m. Oct. 25, 2024.  Access the application by clicking on cross-culturals on the student tab in my.bluffton.edu. A written rationale for your choice is required. 
  
  Those who complete the application form after 5 p.m. Oct. 25 will be considered late and placed on a wait list for any spots that remain open.
• Apply for a financial need-based grant before Oct. 28. If you anticipate needing financial support, complete the financial need-based grant form, available on my.bluffton.edu. For every seven students enrolled in an experience, one need-based grant will be awarded to a student in that experience.
• Notification of your experience placement will be emailed by 5 p.m. Nov. 1.
• Respond to accept your placement by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2024. If you have not replied to accept the placement by this deadline, you will forfeit your spot in that experience.
• Submit your $300 deposit by Dec. 12
  The rest of the fee will be included in your spring semester bill.
  
  

How to Signup 

• Make sure you are current on your Bluffton University bill.
  Those students who are not current on their bill but submit an application form will be notified via email of the hold and given 48 hours from the time the email is sent to meet with John Forsythe to resolve the issue.
• Prepare written responses explaining your preferences.
  In the application, you will be asked to provide a rationale for why you chose the experience you did. This written rationale will be a significant factor in which placement you receive. You will have an apportunity to submit two statements; one for your first choice, and another that speaks to your second and third choices.
  
  Each rationale should be 200 words or fewer. Describe why you chose the experience and how you imagine it supporting your academic goals and vocational calling. You are strongly encouraged to compose your writen responses ahead of time and paste into the form so you don’t risk losing your work.
  
  Responses will be anonymously ranked by the cross-cultural committee. The committee is looking for thoughtful explainations demonstrating personal connections and reasons a given experience is important to a student. These reasons may include, but are not limited to, finances, scheduling considerations and opportunities to be stretched for personal growth.

Since space is limited, we cannot guarantee that every student will be placed in his/her first choice location. Students are required to select a second and third choice in which they are willing to participate. In the event of low enrollment, an experience may be cancelled.

 

How placements will be determined

Each application will be awarded a number of points based on objective criteria. Those applications with the highest number of points will receive priority placement. Points will be based on:

• Academic standing (e.g. senior, junior, sophomore)
• Strength of rationale
• Timing of your application submission (those who apply on Oct. 22 will receive more points than those who apply on Oct. 25)
• Whether you have already met your cross-cultural requirement
• Major (for experiences with a specified academic focus)
• Pell eligibility (only for those students who list the lowest cost option as their first choice)

A detailed explanation of points is available on my.bluffton.edu.

GRANTS FOR CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

• $750 grants are available for all May/June 2025 experiences. 
• Grant application 
• To be given priority, complete and submit the grant application by Oct. 28. Applications submitted after Oct. 28 will be reviewed. You will know if you are a grant recipient by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, for the May 2025 experiences.
• If you have questions, contact Marathana Prothro.
  
  

Ideas for financial assistance

Resources in your hometown may prove to be a valuable component of your search, especially if you or your parents have been active in the community.

The following is a list of possible sources of money for you.

• Service clubs: Inquire at your hometown Lions, Kiwanis, Women's and other service clubs.
• Town hall: Go to your hometown town hall and ask if there are any local scholarships.
• Chamber of commerce: Visit the Chamber of Commerce to see if there are any opportunities.
• Your high school: Go to the guidance department of the high school you graduated from and inquire.
• Religious organizations: If you belong to a church, synagogue or other religious organization, ask the person in charge of finances if there are any scholarships, grants or loans available.
• Family employers: Ask your parents and other members of your family to check at work and see if their company offers aid to sons, daughters, or relatives of workers.
• Your employer: If you hold a job, ask your boss if there are any scholarships available to workers in the company. 

You could propose to some of these groups and individuals that you would come back and report on your time in X location in exchange for the funds you receive. If you received $20 from 25 people, you would have $500. You might also consider budgeting your money this year such that you plan to not spend as much money - for example, on gas (perhaps two fewer trips home if you go home frequently), or food/coffee/etc. beyond your meal plan.

After a student is registered for a cross-cultural experience, all financial information is communicated directly to the student. It is the student's responsibility to relay this information to parents or a third party, if someone other than the student is paying for the experience.

Marathana Prothro (fall 2024) or Paul Neufeld Weaver (spring 2025)