Voyager Scholarship

Summary

The Voyager Scholarship (Barack Obama-Brian Chesky Scholarship for Public Service) is for students focused on public service careers. Applicants should demonstrate a passion for helping others, experience serving in or building community, an expansive view of what’s possible through public service, and a conviction to make a positive change within the world. 

Public service is defined as follows:  It can include careers in government, nonprofit, or the private sector, ranging from school teachers, community organizers, social workers, entrepreneurs with ideas for socially impactful businesses, journalism, arts, and design—a range of fields through which people are committed to creating a more connected, just, and equitable world.    

Each Voyager scholar receives up to $80,000 ($25,000/yr of financial aid for their junior & senior years of college, $10,000 for a summer experience, and $2,000 Airbnb travel credit each year for 10 years). In addition, Voyager scholars participate in a leadership-development summit in the fall of their junior year and join an alumni network of leaders in the Obama Foundation.  

To be eligible to apply for the Voyager Scholarship applicants must: 

• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident (holders of a Permanent Resident Card), or DACA recipient 
• Current college sophomores who plan to enroll full-time in their junior year of study at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States. 
• Demonstrate financial need—this is calculated using a similar formula to the FAFSA 
• Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent.  
• Have demonstrated a commitment to public service 
• Plan to pursue a future career in public service 
• Able to commit to fully participating in once per month programming, including individual meetings with coaches and network connections 

To be competitive, applicants must meet the criteria for selecting Voyager scholars: 

• A record of current and past public serve experiences 
• A record of meaningful academic, work, and leadership involvements 
• A concrete public service career plan 
• A clear articulation of how the Voyager scholarship will help you accomplish your public service career and goals for making a positive change within the world 
• Demonstrate financial need 

National Application Process

Application materials and official information can be found on the Voyager website.  

The Voyager Scholarship does not require a university endorsement. Therefore, applicants will apply directly and independently submit their application materials to the Voyager’s online portal. W&M fellowship advisors are available for application support and feedback!

National Deadline & Application Components

The National Deadline is March 17, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. Central Time.  

You must submit the following required application components: 

• A complete Voyager application (including 8 short-answer questions, a two-minute video submission, and descriptions of 1) public service experiences, 2) work experiences, 3) other activities, and 4) membership in leadership programs) 
• An unofficial W&M transcript 
• NOTE: letters of recommendation are NOT required

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