Mountain Guiding and Climbing Scholarships
Each year, outdoor industry leaders and private foundations give to the AMGA to help guides and aspiring guides advance their education and reduce the costs associated with AMGA training.
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General Scholarship Application Process
Open to AMGA members
applying to Mountain Guide
Program courses and exams
The application period for 2026 scholarships will be open from May 20th to June 17th, 2025 for use on 2026 Mountain Guide Programs. Scholarships are awarded a year in advance of when they can be used. See the Mountain Guide Program schedule here.
Before you apply for a scholarship...
- Have a current AMGA membership. Sign up here.
- Read the Frequently Asked Questions below.
- Research the available scholarships and their restrictions.
- Review the scholarship policies below.
- Meet the prerequisites for programs by date of program application.
If you are awarded a scholarship, you will need to...
- Apply for a Mountain Guide Program within the application deadlines
- Pay program application fees.
- Be accepted into a program. Applicants must meet the prerequisites for the program they are applying for.
2025 Scholarship Application Period Closed*
Apply for a scholarship for the opportunity to receive financial assistance for your guide education.
*
2026 Applications Open May 20, 2025 - June 17, 2025
AMGA 2026 Available Scholarships
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Scholarships Frequently Asked Questions
If you receive a partial scholarship, you will be required to pay the $500 deposit and any remaining tuition, after your scholarship amount is subtracted, according to the Mountain Guide Program tuition payment and enrollment schedule. See policies for more details. Mountain Guide Program payment, transfer, cancellation and refund policies apply for all scholarships received. If you receive a full tuition scholarship, you will be required to pay the $500 deposit. This deposit will be reimbursed after your program is complete and you have submitted all of the required content as per the scholarship contract and policies. See the Scholarship Contract Policies and Content Submission Requirements for more details.
Along with your contact information, current training and certifications, and future programs, we ask for an essay to be submitted. Please take a look at the essay questions to review before you apply.
YES. All applicants must have a current AMGA Professional Membership when submitting an application to be considered for any scholarships. If you do not have a membership or your membership has expired, your application will not be considered.
All applicants will be notified by July 31st, 2025.
NO. This pool of AMGA scholarships are for AMGA Mountain Guide Programs only.
To apply for either of our two video submission scholarships (F.O.R.G.E. and Chad Vander Ham), complete the application in addition to submitting a video. You can send us a link to your video with your standard application or email scholarships@amga.com
YES. Scholarship recipients must apply to their AMGA program(s) of choice as usual and must meet the applicable application deadlines for the program. It is your responsibility to keep an eye on the Mountain Guide Program application period and deadlines. All prerequisites must be met for the applicable program at the time of program application deadline.
YES. In order to be eligible for an AMGA Scholarship, participants must show that they either already meet the prerequisites* or will meet the prerequisites in full by the Mountain Guide Program application deadline.
YES. Scholarship recipients must pay the associated $75.00 application fee with any AMGA program they apply to. Of Note: waitlists are free to apply to.
- You will receive an email from the Membership/Scholarships team with next steps to accept your scholarship. They will send a contract to be signed containing terms and conditions of the scholarship including the expectations for required content submissions (see below) and any additional details of the scholarship. See the Scholarship Contract Policies and Content Submission Requirements for more details.
- You will need to let the AMGA office know what program you would like to use your scholarship towards. A second backup course option is required.
- Finally, apply for your course or exam by the appropriate mountain guide program application deadline. Please put a note in the text box of your resume for your program application indicating you are a scholarship recipient.
- A scholarship does not guarantee entry to a Mountain Guide Program
- You still must meet the prerequisites and submit your application on time.
AMGA Scholarship recipients are required to provide the AMGA office with the required scholarship materials within 4 weeks of completing an applicable program. These materials must include two (2) of these four (4) submissions:
- A 500-word (minimum) written testimonial/reflection of your course/exam experience
- A minimum of five (5) high quality, captioned photos of your course, including at least one of yourself
- An art piece that represents your experience during this course or is influenced by your experience during this course. All forms of art are acceptable including but not limited to: visual art, written art such as poetry, etc.
- A 90-second to 3-minute video that acts as a testimonial/reflection of your course/exam experience (digital submission required)
See the Scholarship Contract Policies and Content Submission Requirements for more details.
If you do not return your content as outlined in above, the Membership team will reach out for one reminder and outline the conditions of your contract.
- If no content is received within four weeks, you will receive an incomplete for the program and forfeit your deposit. Registering for future courses may be impacted.
- Students who have full-tuition scholarships who do not submit the content deliverables to the AMGA as outlined in their contract will forfeit their $500 deposit.
If you do not show up for the program and do not communicate with the AMGA office, your credit card on file may be charged for any program tuition that a scholarship would have covered.
- If you are unable to attend or complete your course due to an emergency, we will hold you to the set in place for all Mountain Guide Programs. We strongly recommend that you purchase Trip Insurance to protect your tuition investment and other associated costs with your program.
The BIPOC Scholarship Fund
The BIPOC Scholarship Fund is a new funding model designed to address systemic barriers identified by BIPOC community members and provide better support throughout their AMGA programs.
