Phillips Passport Initiative

The Phillips Passport Initiative now provides funding for ALL undergraduate students at UNC to obtain their first U.S. passport, especially first-years and new transfer students. The mission of the initiative is to encourage students to explore global experiences early in their time 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. Since inception, this initiative has awarded more than 260 undergraduates with scholarships to cover their passport application costs. More than one-third of these students have already gone on to study abroad in locations around the globe using their new passports!

Application Instructions

APPLY HERE for Phillips Passport Initiative scholarships (check application dates below)

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about Phillips Passport Initiative

Learn more about applying for a first-time adult U.S. passport book

Funding Overview
Awards of $180 each will be available to cover the application cost for a first-time adult U.S. passport book (currently $165) plus the cost of passport size photos (approximately $15.) 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, or students who are not eligible to apply for a U.S. passport book.

Note: This program was originally open to first-year and new transfer students but is now open to all undergraduate students except those in their final semester at UNC.

Fall 2025 Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an award in fall 2025, the student must:
Be an undergraduate student enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill for the 2025-2026 academic year (including Summer Bridge participants and Kessler Scholars).
Have never before held a U.S. passport book at any time since birth (can have previously held a passport card)
Be currently eligible to apply for a first-time adult U.S. passport book
Not be in their final semester at UNC (i.e. graduating in December)

Fall 2025 Application Timeline and Deadlines
August 1, 2025: PPI scholarship application opens
November 1, 2025: PPI scholarship application due
November 10, 2025: PPI scholarship notification
November 20, 2025: PPI scholarship commitment deadline
April 1, 2026: Passport application receipt upload due for award distribution
By April 15, 2026: Awards distributed to cashier’s account as a refund
July 1, 2026: Deadline to upload image of newly received U.S. passport book signature/photo page

Spring 2026 Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an award in spring 2026, the student must:
Be an undergraduate student enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill during the 2025-2026 academic year
Have never before held a U.S. passport book at any time since birth (can have previously held a passport card)
Be currently eligible to apply for a first-time adult U.S. passport book
Not be in their final semester at UNC (i.e. graduating in May)

Spring 2026 Application Timeline and Deadlines
February 1, 2026: PPI scholarship application opens
May 1, 2026: PPI scholarship application due
May 10, 2026: PPI scholarship notification
May 20, 2026: PPI scholarship commitment deadline
October 1, 2026: Passport application receipt upload due for award distribution
By October 15, 2026: Awards distributed to cashier’s account as a refund
January 1, 2027: Deadline to upload image of newly received U.S. passport book signature/photo page

All award recipients will be required to:
Apply for a first-time adult U.S. passport book on their own and pay for all fees upfront (PPI staff can advise on process)
Upload passport application receipt by the required deadline
Upload image of U.S. passport book signature/photo page by the deadline
Complete periodic questionnaires about how passport book is utilized
Share experiences with future prospective applicants (optional)