How do I get to JIRP?

This is the question most people ask as they’re completing their application. The costs of attending JIRP are high, and we do everything in our power to keep this field fee as manageable as possible. Operationally, this includes relying on over 40,000 volunteer hours per year from faculty and staff to make the field season run productively. Almost all our summer staff and faculty volunteer their time for the 2-10 weeks they’re with the Expedition.

We are able to offer small scholarships for students through the Joan W. Miller fund. We are also excited to support future students with applications to outside funding sources to help make their JIRP dream a reality. We continue to apply for other funding options for the program as a whole to lower field fees, and we dearly hope that in the future JIRP will be able to offer a far lower barrier to entry.

Below you will find the following information:

Cost Breakdown

This section details the cost of JIRP, what does that money go towards, and who it is paid to.

Other Expenses

This section outlines the other costs associated to JIRP that aren’t as easy to put a number on, including travel expenses, gear costs, visa costs, and health insurance. These are important to factor in when you anticipate your expenses for JIRP.

Scholarship Application

This section outlines the Joan W. Miller Scholarship Application and provides a link to complete the application, which is due on Dec . 13, 2024.

Outside Financial Aid

This section provides links to outside funding sources that have helped JIRPers in the past. It also describes the kind of support we can offer as you pursue these other funding sources.

Cost Breakdown

The total cost for the 2025 Expedition will be between $12,000 and $14,000.

There are two distinct parts of JIRP costs. Field fees are paid directly to JIRP’s parent nonprofit, the Foundation for Glacier & Environmental Research. Tuition is paid directly to one of our university partners. We are still figuring out what each of these costs will be for the 2025 Expedition, so check this page regularly for updates.

Field Fees

Field fees will cost between $11,000 and $13,000 for the 2025 Expedition.

This field fee covers a portion of the costs of operating on the Icefield for six weeks and in Juneau/Atlin for two weeks:

  • Food: Two hot meals per day, trail lunch, and snacks. We fly food into the field weekly via helicopter. We support a variety of dietary restrictions but we cannot safely accommodate all severe food allergies. Please contact our staff directly at office@juneauicefield.org if you have a severe food allergy.

  • Lodging: We provide accommodations in Juneau and on the Icefield. JIRP operates and maintains a series of permanent field camps located across the Icefield; we also periodically use 4-season tents as temporary field camps.

  • Safety Training: All expedition participants receive instruction in glacier travel, crevasse rescue, ropework, general wilderness travel skills, communication, etc.

  • Academic instruction: In-depth, hands-on mentorship and training from approximately two dozen expert scientists and researchers; fully developed academic curriculum and field projects; robust academic lectures throughout the program.

  • Logistical Support: Includes all communication via radio and satellite phone, delivery of food and supplies, and movement of short-term personnel to and from field camps.

  • Fuel: All camps are equipped with generators for limited power and propane for cooking. Additionally, we support fieldwork with gasoline-powered snow machines.

  • Transportation during the program: We travel in and around Atlin and Juneau by van and bus; from Atlin, BC to Skagway, AK by chartered bus; from Skagway to Juneau, AK by ferry; and on Lake Atlin by boat.

  • Use of group gear: Wear and tear on camp facilities, safety gear, scientific equipment, over-snow vehicles, etc.

  • Evacuation Insurance: Evacuation to the hospital Juneau in the case of an injury sustained on the program, either via helicopter or overland.

  • Field notebook: One Rite in the Rain field notebook.

  • JIRP Logo t-shirt: One very fashionable JIRP t-shirt.

Tuition

Tuition will cost between $500 and $1000 depending on your visa status and residency.

Tuition covers six upper-division Earth and environmental science credits through either the University of Colorado Boulder or the University of Alaska Southeast (for Alaskan students), paid directly to the university:

  • If you are a US citizen or international student that has an educational visa to study in the United States, you will enroll at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The cost of enrollment is approximately $1000, paid directly to Boulder in the spring semester before your JIRP experience.

  • If you are a US citizen or an international student with a US educational visa AND you are a resident of the state of Alaska, you qualify for in-state tuition through the University of Alaska Southeast. The cost of enrollment is approximately $500, paid directly to UAS in the spring semester before your JIRP experience.

  • If you are NOT a US citizen and you do not have a US educational visa, you will not be able to receive academic credit for JIRP.

Other Expenses

Outside of the tuition and field fees, participants are responsible for the following:

  • Travel to and from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory (by plane or car) or Skagway, Alaska (by ferry). We will pick up students and bring them to our facility in Atlin, British Columbia for orientation week.

  • Personal ski mountaineering and general backcountry equipment: This equipment, detailed on the Gear List page, includes field clothing, backpack, sleeping bag, ice axe, and cross country skis and boots.

  • Health Insurance: For any medical care you require as a result of the injury sustained at JIRP.

  • Any time in Juneau or Whitehorse before or after the program: Due to staff training and program closing work that must happen before and after the students are present, we cannot accommodate anyone other than staff at JIRP facilities.

Financial Aid through JIRP

JIRP awards several partial scholarships to students thanks to generous donations from the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and ColdEx, as well as from individuals who contribute to the Joan W. Miller Scholarship Fund. JIRP awards these scholarships without regard for academic enrollment or citizenship, so they are available to students not enrolled in school and to students from outside the U.S. In recent years the JIRP has been able to meet approximately 15% of the support requested through the Scholarship Fund. In an effort to support as many students as possible, the maximum award from JIRP is $3000 per student.

JIRP Scholarship Application

Due December 13, 2024

To apply for financial aid from JIRP through these avenues, please submit the Scholarship Application along with your Academic Application. Decisions about financial aid will be delivered concurrently with academic application decisions for accepted students so these prospective participants can make a fully informed decision about enrollment.

The Student Application to JIRP is need-blind: we do not consider whether an applicant has applied for financial aid when reading their application to the program. This means that applying for financial aid will have no bearing on your acceptance to the program. It also means JIRP may accept your application to be a student but may not be able to provide you with the financial support you requested. In this circumstance, we are committed to providing you with any support we can to find additional funding.

If you have any questions about financing your JIRP participation or about the Scholarship Application, please contact our staff at office@juneauicefield.org.

We are immensely grateful to the supporters of financial aid at JIRP:

 
 

Outside Financial Aid & Support

We strongly encourage students to investigate funding options available from their home institutions, outside organizations such as Rotary, and assistance from family or friends. We are working on options for students to apply existing financial aid (through their home institutions) to both tuition and the JIRP field fee.

We recognize that for some students, their attendance at JIRP is contingent on receiving financial aid. We are happy to write letters of support for third-party grant/scholarship opportunities and assist students with tailoring applications to particular grants. If needed, we can defer enrollment for accepted students for a year to allow you to apply for funding. Please contact our staff at office@juneauicefield.org if you have questions about any of these options.

The following information may be helpful in starting an online search for scholarship awards:

Third-Party Grants & Scholarships:

Explorers Club Exodus Exploration without Boundaries Grant: Exploration grants for researchers of all skill levels, particularly focused on alternate education/career paths and on Indigenous explorers. $4000. Due mid-November.

American Philosophical Society’s Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research: Up to $5000 awards for field research expenses. For doctoral students only. Due mid-November.

Explorers Club Rising Explorer Grant: Exploration grants for high school students and undergraduates for expedition science. Due late November.

Association for Women Geoscientists Brunton Award: Award of $1000 plus a Brunton available to students of marginalized genders. Due Dec. 15.

American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) National Undergraduate Scholarship: Scholarships of $1000-$3000. Due Feb. 1.

National Assoc. Geosci. Teachers Field Studies Scholarships: Awards of $750 for field-based courses or camps. Due mid-February.

Association for Women Geoscientists Crawford Field Camp Scholarship: Awards $750 to be used for field work expenses. Due Feb. 14.

American Alpine Club Grants: Various options, but the Catalyst and Research grants may be the most applicable. Due Feb. 28.

Society for Exploration Geophysicists : $1,000-$10,000 scholarships for undergraduate or graduate students interested in geophysics. Due Mar. 1.

Geological Society of America Field Camp Scholar Award: Scholarships of $2000; applications due Mar. 31.

AAPG L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grant: $500 grants for undergraduate geoscientists. Due Mar. 31.

collegescholarships.org: Listing of scholarships for Earth Science students

FutureRockDoc: A team of early career Earth scientists maintains this list of undergraduate and graduate funding opportunities.
 

At your home institution:

Earth Science or Geosciences Department: Many schools have funding support for students doing summer research and/or field camps. The easiest way to learn about available options will be to talk to a professor in the department. If you have an adviser in the department, start there. Otherwise, an Undergraduate Coordinator (if you’re at a large university) or any professor whose class you’ve taken may be able to help.

Fellowships Office: Many universities have a Fellowships Office that serves as a clearing house for funding for learning outside the classroom. To figure out if your school has one, google “Fellowships [School Name]”.

Career Office: Most schools have a career office. They may know about grant money for summer research or summer courses. Even though JIRP may not seem like it fits the strict definition of a “career opportunity”, it’s worth asking them.

Older students: Ask around with other students! This can be an excellent source of information. Older students especially may have valuable experience funding summer/study abroad courses.

Consortium Agreement: Many schools allow you to use a “Consortium Agreement” to use existing financial aid to pay for courses like JIRP. Policies vary from school to school.