Application & Essay Deadline March 1, 2025
Submit your application and essay submission by the deadline of March 1, 2025 to be considered for one of three all expense paid travel programs available in 2025 (including airfare and required travel documents). 
Summer Springboard---with intent to provide greater inclusion, diversity, equity and access to SSB programs---is proud to share that we are offering two full scholarships for our pre-college programs in the summer of 2025 to two students of color with demonstrated financial need and one full scholarship for a pre-college program in the summer of 2025 to one additional student based solely on demonstrated financial need. 

Applicants for all scholarships will select from one Summer Springboard program (pending availability of program and session dates).
  1. Upon submission of application, essay (with a 1000 word minimum [1200 word max]) and demonstrated financial need, SSB will invite top applicants and their guardians to a final interview to take place between March 24 - March 28, 2025.
  2. No later than April 4, 2025 SSB will award two applicants as scholarship recipients of the SSB IDEA Scholarship. We will work together with recipients to acquire required flights, passports, etc.
  3. Upon final award selection, scholarship recipients must complete the full SSB application to ensure that we can accommodate them based on any medical or mental health histories (as we do for all students on our programs) according to the specific destination of the program.

Contact Information












Proof of Demonstrated Financial Need

Upload the first page of your family's most recent income tax filings, making sure to include your annual AGI and removing or blacking out any private/personal data, including SSN number:

$
USD / year






enter your essay of 1000 words minimum 1200 words maximum



IDEA SCHOLARSHIP FAQ

PLEASE READ BELOW FOR ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Additional questions on scholarships or financial aid? Please call the Summer Springboard Admissions team during office hours at 858-780-5660.


Q: Is this scholarship open to residents of all countries?  

A: Yes, this scholarship is open to any student who meets all of the eligibility requirements. These include:

  • Demonstrated financial need (an annual household income of less than $100,000.00 USD)
  • Completion of all components of the application (including the 1,000+ word essay)
  • Confirmed eligibility to participate in a Summer Springboard program

The goal of our scholarship is to provide inclusion, diversity, equity and access to Summer Springboard programs this summer.

For two of the three available IDEA Scholarships, applicants must identify as a student of color and provide demonstrated financial need, along with their essay submission to be considered for the scholarships. The remaining scholarship is open to any eligible student with demonstrated financial need.


Q: Will the scholarship cover any travel related expenses such as passport and/or visa?

A: Yes, if the student does not yet have a passport or a visa, and it is required for the scholarship recipient to attend the program, Summer Springboard will cover the costs to acquire a passport and/or visa.


Q: How will I get to the program?

A: Scholarship recipients will be able to book a flight from their home destination to the program destination via our flight booking partner StudentUniverse, if a flight is required, and Summer Springboard will cover the costs of this flight. Students will work with their family or guardian to make a transportation plan to and from their home airports.


Q: Which programs are open for the scholarship recipients:

A: Award winners can select from the following campus locations:

  • Barnard College, Columbia University
  • Cambridge, MA
  • Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
  • Duke University
  • Georgetown
  • Georgia Tech
  • New York School of Interior Design
  • Oxford
  • Berkeley
  • UCLA
  • UC San Diego
  • UC Santa Cruz
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Washington
  • University of Washington Foster School of Business
  • Yale University

We ask applicants to select their top three choices. Final program selection may be limited based on the availability of the actual program and session date at the time of selection.


Q: Do I have to use my scholarship toward a Summer 2025 Summer Springboard program?

A: Yes, you must apply your scholarship award, should you be selected, toward tuition (and airfare, if applicable) for a Summer 2025 Summer Springboard program. This scholarship award has no cash value and cannot be transferred.


Q: Will essays shorter than 1,000 words be considered?

A: No. You must write a short essay to be considered for the IDEA scholarship, and it must be a minimum of 1,000 words long. Submissions utilizing AI (ChatGPT or similar) will be automatically disqualified.


Q: What is the application deadline for the IDEA Scholarship?

A: Eligible students must apply by no later than Friday, March 1, 2025.


Q: When will Scholarship Finalists be informed?

A: Finalists will be informed if they are among the final candidates being considered for the IDEA Scholarship by no later than Tuesday, April 1, 2025


Q: When will the three winners of the IDEA Scholarship be announced?

A: The three winning scholarship recipients will be selected and informed in mid-April.