Spring Scholarships in Scandinavia

for UW-Madison students

For the Spring 2027 semester, the BVO will send UW-Madison students to Copenhagen, Denmark and Helsinki, Finland. The entire program runs from January through May 2027, plus a weekend in mid-August 2027 to attend the annual Brittingham Viking Organization Convention in Scandinavia. The scholarship covers tuition up to the Wisconsin or Minnesota resident rate. Out-of-state students are welcome to apply, but are expected to cover the difference in tuition rates themselves.

All our scholars become lifelong members of our alumni network consisting of around 500 scholarship recipients from the last seven decades. Our alumni serve as a valuable support system for our scholars while they are abroad and can provide connections for academic and professional opportunities during and after the scholarship period has ended. The people you meet might become your lifelong friends, and the social, academic, and professional contacts you gain make the Brittingham Viking Organization unique.

To find out more about available classes and subjects at our partner universities, please visit their respective websites (listed below). Available universities have different GPA and student classification requirements. Please take this into consideration when determining your preferred study abroad destinations in your written application.

Attention:

Spring 2027 applications closed on April 1, 2026. Applications for Spring 2028 will open Q1 2027.

Available Universities

Copenhagen, Denmark

DIS Study Abroad

Topics(s): Arts, Humanities, Science & Technology, Global Health, Business

Requirements: Open to 2026-27 Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors in good academic and disciplinary standing with at least a 3.0 GPA.

Copenhagen Business School

Topic(s): Business

Requirements: At this time, Copenhagen Business School is only an option for applicants who have concurrently applied for the Copenhagen Business School Exchange (applications were due February 27, 2026).

Helsinki, Finland

Hanken School of Economics

Topic(s): Economics, Marketing, Finance, Business

Requirements: Open to 2026-27 Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students with at least a 3.0 GPA.

Please note: Past scholars have found success attending universities that don’t necessarily closely align with their current academic path (e.g., Hanken School of Economics for non-business students). We ask that applicants keep in mind their degree requirements while also being open to other opportunities. Applicants are first and foremost applying to become a member of the Brittingham Viking Organization - a lifelong opportunity like no other - and secondly for the opportunity to study in a specific country / university.

Important Notes!

Currently, Brittingham Viking scholars studying in Copenhagen study on exchange through UW-Madison’s International Academic Program (IAP) office. Students in Helsinki study as free moving students, which means that the credits they receive in Finland are not considered in residence (unlike on IAP programs). Make sure you know what you need academically from your time abroad and communicate that with the selection committee as much as possible.

Students selected to go to Copenhagen must study business or a business related course, regardless of university attended.

Scholarships are designed to cover housing, roundtrip flights to Scandinavia, visas, insurance, a generous living and travel stipend, and tuition up to the WI or MN resident rate. Students paying out-of-state tuition at UW-Madison will still need to pay the difference between MN resident and out-of-state tuition rates. Visit the Office of Student Financial Aid's cost of attendance page for more information.

Scholarship funds are deposited into the recipient’s student account. Scholars may be asked to pay some costs prior to arriving in Scandinavia but will be able to reimburse themselves after receiving scholarship funds. Scholars assume responsibility for additional study abroad expenses outside of the scholarship budget (e.g., entertainment, personal travels, clothing, etc.).

Commitment requires scholar availability from January through May 2027, plus a weekend in mid-August 2027 to attend the annual Brittingham Viking Organization Convention in Scandinavia.

Scholars must be planning to return to the Madison area for one full academic year after scholarship, either to study or for employment. We expect that returning scholars will be involved in welcoming new Scandinavian scholars to Madison in September 2027 and selecting the next group of American BVO scholars in winter 2027 and spring 2028.

Application Instructions

Spring 2027 applications are now closed. Thank you for applying!

After you have completed the initial application, follow the instructions in the confirmation email or visit this webpage to download the written portion of the application.

Complete the scholarship application thoroughly and with respect to the word limits.
Create a single PDF of your written application with the file name FirstnameLastname.pdf (e.g., BuckyBadger.pdf) and submit it here.

The written application must be submitted here by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.

Applicants who are selected for an interview will be notified by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Selected applicants must be available for interviews on Saturday, April 11, 2026 (virtual) and Saturday, April 18, 2026 (in person in Madison). Please note that not all applicants will be invited to the second interview.

Any questions about the scholarship or the application should be directed to us.scholarships@brittinghamvikings.org with the email subject “Application Question.” A member of the selection committee will get back to you as soon as possible.

Timeline for Applying

April 1 — applications for Spring 2027 due
April 7 — all applicants are notified via email of their interview status
April 11 — first round interview for selected applicants (virtual)
April 18 — second round interview for selected applicants (in-person)*

*celebratory dinner to follow for scholarship recipients

Click here to learn more about summer opportunities.

If our scholarship program isn't relevant to you this year, but you'd like more information about future opportunities, consider filling out the initial application anyway so that we can add your email to our mailing list!