The first barrier to a global experience is the rising expense of a passport.

The Phillips Passport Initiative provides funding for first year and new transfer undergraduate students to obtain their first U.S. passport. The mission of the initiative is to encourage students to participate in global experiences while at Carolina. Award recipients will be provided with resources to explore a wide array of global opportunities including studying, interning, service learning, and researching abroad.

UNC Communications recently wrote a piece on how the initiative is transforming experiences for first-year and new transfer students: https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/09/13/scholarship-opens-the-world-to-tar-heels/

2023 Funding
Awards of $175 each will be available to reimburse the application cost for a first-time adult U.S. passport book (currently $165) plus the cost of passport size photos (approximately $10.) Please note this initiative does not award funding to students who have previously held a U.S. passport book or who are seeking to renew a U.S. passport book.

2023 Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an award in 2023, the student must:
1) Be a first year or new transfer undergraduate student at UNC Chapel Hill starting in summer or fall 2023
2) Have never before held a U.S. passport book at any time since birth
3) Be eligible to apply for a first-time adult U.S. passport book

2023 Timeline
June 1, 2023: Applications open
September 1, 2023: Applications due
September 10, 2023: Award notification
September 20, 2023: Commitment deadline
December 1, 2023: Deadline to upload passport application receipt for Round 1 funding
February 1, 2024: Deadline to upload passport application receipt for Round 2 (final) funding
May 1, 2024: Deadline to upload passport photo page image

Award Requirements
Award recipients will be required to:
1) Upload receipt(s) from passport application submission by December 1 for Round 1 funding or by February 1 for Round 2 (final) funding
2) Upload copy of passport by May 1
3) Complete periodic questionnaires about how passport is utilized
4) Share experiences with future prospective applicants (optional)

Application Instructions
Applications for 2023 are now closed. For future cycles, applications can be started at: go.unc.edu/PhillipsPassport

For information about applying for a first-time adult U.S. passport, visit this link: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html