Academy FAQs

Yes, international students are strongly encouraged to apply!

If you’ve already started college or have graduated from college, unfortunately, you are not eligible for Global Citizen Academy. The experience is designed for students who are in the unique transition period between high school and college.

Yes, if you have done some junior college you are still eligible to apply.

If you have not yet graduated from high school, you are not yet eligible to apply for Global Citizen Academy. The experience is designed for students who are in the unique transition period between high school and college.

Minerva’s Forum platform facilitates an incredible learning experience when everyone is able to participate fully. To ensure your success as a learner in class, 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. We recommend using a computer with a quad-core processor. Not sure if you have one? You can quickly check by following these steps. (If you like, you can view our full computer recommendations here.) If you don’t have a quad-core computer you will still be able to join but your experience on the platform may be compromised.
3. Check that you have strong Internet access. We recommend testing your internet strength before class.
4. Close all tabs and programs when participating to ensure you are not overloading your computer.
5. 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.

To support the many students impacted by changing college plans, the final application deadline has been extended to August 11th.

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 decision 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 - our final commitment deadline is August 14. And there will be many opportunities to connect with us and ask questions along the way.

Global Citizen Academy is designed for hopeful and determined high school grads 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 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 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 Academy, if you have not had it refunded.

We are pleased to offer a sliding scale model for Global Citizen Academy with tuition ranging from $500 (deposit only) to $7,500 (full tuition). 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.

Although the full cost of tuition for the Academy is $7500, tuition is offered on a sliding scale. To make this program accessible, we ask that students and their families decide what is comfortable for them to pay: either the full $7500, $4000, $1500, or $500.

If you select the $500 tier, we ask that you submit a FAFSA or CSS Profile to confirm your family income, as we want to reserve spaces in that tier for families who really need it. Please email admissions@globalcitizenyear.org if you need a CSS Profile application fee waiver.

The Shawn Mendes Foundation Scholarship has made it possible for us to make the $500 tier tuition level more widely available for students worldwide, whereas previously we could admit only a limited number of students at that tier. We are authorized to offer tuition amounts lower than $500 for students in demonstrated situations of global extreme poverty. If you feel that this applies to you, please select the tuition tier that reads “$500 is cost prohibitive for me” within the application, and provide us with context about your situation.

Financial aid forms are required only for the tuition tiers of $500 or below.

If you select the tuition tier of $500, we request that you submit financial aid forms. This helps to ensure that this tier is reserved only for families with demonstrated financial need.

To process your financial aid, Global Citizen Academy requires that you complete and submit one of the following forms:

• CSS Profile, for international students (non-U.S. applicants)
• FAFSA Student Aid Report, for domestic students (U.S. applicants)

The CSS Profile and the FAFSA are common forms used by university admissions offices to determine your eligibility for financial aid, using your and/or your parent or guardian’s income and tax information.

Global Citizen Year (the organization behind Global Citizen Academy) can be selected from the list of institutions within the CSS Profile. When you have successfully completed the CSS Profile, you will be prompted to select an institution to electronically send your documents to. Select Global Citizen Year, and we will receive your submission electronically.

If you are a U.S. applicant submitting a FAFSA Student Aid report, please simply save the Student Aid Report as a PDF, and upload it to your Global Citizen Academy application.

If you have trouble with this, please email admissions@globalcitizenyear.org.

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.

Watch this video to meet a few of the amazing students in our 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.

Yes. Students have the option of receiving 4 college credits for the Systems & Society course. This course is accredited by Minerva Schools at KGI, which is the school of record for the course. If you opt-in for credit, you will receive a transcript from Minerva Schools at KGI upon completion of the course that lists the course and your letter grade as a course you have taken at Minerva Schools at KGI. Earning transferable credit requires an additional $300 fee.

Please note that Global Citizen Year and Minerva Schools at KGI cannot guarantee that another university will accept transfer credits, so please inquire directly with your school to determine what information they will need to confirm that they can accept credit. Contact Academy@globalcitizenyear.org with further questions about transfer credit. You can find more accreditation information about Minerva Schools at KGI here.

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

The inaugural semester will start at the end of this summer and run from Sept 8 - December 18, 2020.

Students should plan for an average weekly commitment of 10-15 hours a week. Each week students will engage in:

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

Global Citizen Academy requires a commitment of 10-15 hours per week, intentionally leaving you time for independent exploration of issues and projects you’re passionate about or for earning income. You could get involved with voter registration and political campaigning. You could virtually volunteer with the Smithsonian, Translators Without Borders, Amnesty International, Sunrise Movement, or many other worthwhile causes. You could learn how to code, play a new instrument, grow your own food, or speak a new language. You could create a photography portfolio, youtube channel, or blog. However you choose to follow your curiosity, Global Citizen Academy will provide a wrap-around structure to support you in reaching your goals.

Global Citizen Academy requires a commitment of 10-15 hours per week, intentionally leaving you time to independently pursue other projects, programs, or employment. So long as you can manage the time commitments for both pursuits, Global Citizen Academy can enhance your independent projects, programs or work by providing a meaningful layer of structure, support, and purpose.

Stay tuned! You can fill out an Interest Form to get the latest updates on Global Citizen Academy.

Mentors are Global Citizen Year alumni and other professionals who bring expertise in select areas. They are chosen for their knowledge and willingness to share and support Academy students. 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. Because most Academy students will be 18 or older, and mentoring meetings will be conducted virtually, mentors will not be asked to go through background checks. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please let us know at academy@globalcitizenyear.org.