All You Need to Know About the Global Citizenship Learning Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about the program, eligibility, application process, or what to expect during the journey? Here are our answers to common questions to help you navigate your path to joining the Global Citizenship Learning Program.

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The Global Citizenship Learning Program is a ten-month, interactive, and practice-focused learning journey consisting of eight learning modules, designed to develop leadership skills, global citizenship, and community impact. Explore frequently asked questions to gain insights into the application process, program modules and activities, and other important details

Most opportunities like this ask you to pick one: free or high-quality, short or substantial, local or global, open to beginners or reserved for people who’ve already proven themselves. The GCLP doesn’t make you choose. It’s completely free, runs for ten months, brings together a cohort spanning five continents, includes a fully funded in-person gathering, and is built around real community impact work rather than theory. And you don’t need a track record to get in. We bet on you before the world has.

You need to be a university student between 18 and 25, currently enrolled at one of our five partner universities. That’s the only formal requirement. We’re far more interested in your motivation and potential than your resume.

● Ashesi University – Accra, Ghana
● BMS Group of Institutions – Bangalore, India
● Universidad de La Frontera – Temuco, Chile
● Friedrich Schiller University – Jena, Germany
● Dillard University – New Orleans, United States

To be eligible to apply for the Global Citizenship Learning Program, students must be enrolled at one of the Melton Foundation partner universities. If you are not enrolled at one, we encourage you to explore how you can get involved with the Melton Foundation and learn more about other Pathways to the Melton Fellowship, such as the Global Solvers Accelerator.

Every cohort is built to bring together different cultures, disciplines, and backgrounds by design, not as an afterthought. We especially encourage applications from students from underrepresented and low-income communities. The Melton Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of colour, gender, nationality, religion,economic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

Over ten months, you’ll work through eight thematic modules built to develop you as a global citizen and changemaker. Each module is interactive and practice-oriented, so you’re applying what you learn to a real project as you go, not just reading about it.

Yes. Alongside self-paced module work, your cohort meets online at least twice a month (generally on the first and third Saturday) to discuss the current modular topic, work through activities together, and connect what you’re learning to your impact projects.

A mix of module content you work through at your own pace, progress on your impact project, two live cohort sessions, and check-ins with your campus group. It’s designed to fit around your studies, not compete with them.

Participants can expect to commit around 3 to 4 hours per week, which adds up to approximately 12 to 16 hours per month. This includes completing module deliverables, contributing to local or campus-based projects, joining the monthly online cohort meetings, and engaging with additional self-paced learning opportunities. Altogether, this represents the full time commitment required to actively participate in the program.

Yes, and this is one of the best parts of the program. Actively engaged fellows are fully sponsored to attend Global Citizens’ Connect (GCC), a week-long in-person gathering with your entire cohort. Travel, accommodation, and participation are all covered as part of your grant.

You’ll co-create a global impact project aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, working with peers from other countries. Projects vary in scale and focus, but each one is designed to create a measurable, real-world outcome, not a hypothetical case study with Project Hosts from our own lifelong Fellowship community.

Yes. Fellows leave with real leadership experience, an international network, and skills that carry directly into social innovation, policy, business, education, and beyond. Just as importantly, past fellows consistently point to the confidence and inclusive mindsets they built as the change that mattered most, in interviews, in the classroom, and in decisions well beyond the program itself.

GCLP is not:
● A vacation, sightseeing trip or luxury travel experience
● A tourism or entertainment program
● A passive conference where participants simply attend sessions
● A networking event without active learning and contribution

Participants can expect unfamiliar environments, local food, shared learning spaces, intensive schedules, and diverse perspectives. It’s this kind of active, sometimes challenging participation that makes the learning,relationships, and growth of GCLP possible.

By accepting a place in GCLP, participants commit to being active members of a global learning community.
Participants commit to:

● Attend and participate fully in all online and in-person sessions

● Arrive on time for sessions and engage actively in workshops and discussions

● Treat peers, facilitators, staff, and host communities with respect

● Collaborate openly across cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives

● Practice empathy, active listening, curiosity, and constructive dialogue

● Contribute to group activities and shared responsibilities

● Uphold the values, code of conduct and anti-discrimination policy of the Melton Foundation

● Complete required readings, preparatory activities, and assignments

We believe that the quality of the experience depends on the commitment each participant brings to the community. When everyone shows up fully, learns with humility, and contributes generously, GCLP becomes a transformative experience for everyone involved.

No. GCLP is completely free. That covers virtual program activities and costs associated with participation in GCC for actively engaged fellows.

You need to be comfortable enough in English to follow discussions, contribute to your project, and take part in cohort sessions. You don’t need to be perfect, and you won’t be the only one who feels nervous about this at the start. Plenty of past fellows walked in worried about their English and walked out far more confident, not just in the language but in speaking up in general. If you can hold a conversation and you’re willing to push yourself a little, you’re in a good position to apply.

A desktop or laptop with a stable internet connection, and a working camera and microphone for live sessions.

Applications open 15th August 2026 and close 15th November 2026.

Through the online application form on our website. You’ll answer essay questions about your experiences, perspectives, and motivations, which help us understand your leadership potential and your commitment to making an impact in your community and beyond.

An application that gives us a real glimpse into you: your passions, what you’ve already done, and what you want to achieve in terms of civic impact. You don’t need a fully accomplished CV. We’re looking for potential, not a finished resume.

Yes. You can apply as many times as you’d like, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.

Around 20 fellows join each cohort, drawn from across all five partner campuses.

After the 15th November 2026 deadline, our selection committee reviews every application across multiple stages. Shortlisted candidates are invited to a 120-minute virtual Assessment Centre, tentatively scheduled for late January or early February 2027. You’ll receive an email invitation ahead of time if you’re shortlisted. After that, the final cohort list will be curated and informed by the end of February 2027.

Yes. The Global Solvers Accelerator is an eight-month program for young social innovators who already have a project or initiative running in their community. Where GCLP builds your leadership and global citizenship skills from the ground up, the Global Solvers Accelerator helps accelerate impact work you’ve already started. If that sounds like you, it’s worth a look as another route into the Melton Fellowship.

You join the Melton Foundation’s Community of Practice, a lifelong global network of more than 650 Melton Fellows. It’s an ongoing source of mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities that keep opening up long after your ten months with the GCLP are over.

If your journey doesn’t align with the Global Citizenship Learning Program but you are leading a social impact venture you’d like to scale and grow, the Melton Foundation offers another pathway: the Global Solvers Accelerator. This eight-month program is designed for young social innovators aged 20 to 35 who are already driving community initiatives or projects. Through mentorship, collaborative learning, and tailored support, the Accelerator helps expand and sustain meaningful social impact. Visit the Global Solvers Accelerator page to learn more and see if this pathway resonates with your goals.

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