This award provides undergraduate students with financial assistance for international learning experiences in or related to Asia, such as studying an Asian language abroad, undertaking field research or special projects, or participating in an international field school. Students will be expected to provide the Asian Institute with updates about their experience and produce a short report with photos upon completion of their travel. Quality of proposal and financial need will be considered.

Award Value: up to $3,000

Eligibility: Undergraduate students in any faculty or program at the University of Toronto, including UTM and UTSC. Students in the Contemporary Asian Studies and South Asian Studies undergraduate programs will receive priority.

Safety Abroad: Travel awards are paid at the time of travel after students have completed a Safety Abroad Workshop and registered with the Safety Abroad Office.

How to Apply: Applications are accepted and will be considered at any time throughout the year. Please allow 3-4 weeks for notification of the outcome of your application. Please submit the following materials to ai.asianstudies@utoronto.ca as a single pdf attachment. The email subject line should be “Joseph Wong Student Experience Fund Application” and the file name of the pdf should be LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME-JWSEF.

  • Statement of Research/Study Interest (This should be no more than 1 page and outline the international learning experience you plan to undertake, including the academic rationale and the significance to your program of study. If you are proposing an independent research project, you must name a U of T faculty member who is willing to supervise your research and also outline the proposed timeline, location, and planned method of data collection for your research.)
  • Curriculum Vitae (including contact information and student number)
  • Academic transcript (PDF from ACORN)
  • Budget (a detailed breakdown of estimated costs)
  • Documentation of Financial Need (OSAP assessment, if eligible, or a short paragraph describing your financial need for this award)
  • Reference Letter (One page letter of support from a University of Toronto faculty member. This should be emailed directly by the faculty member to ai.asianstudies@utoronto.ca.)

Questions: Please contact Katherine MacIvor (Program Advisor and Communications Officer, Asian Institute) at ai.asianstudies@utoronto.ca or 416-946-8832.

Deadline: Rolling