The Loftur Bjarnason Endowment for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies is a generous endowment made to the university by Loftur Bjarnason, a former professor of literature at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, and visiting professor at BYU.
One of the purposes of the endowment is to provide students financial assistance in the furthering of their academic interest in Scandinavian language and culture. The Bjarnason Scandinavian scholarships are awarded to students in the Scandinavian minor who wish to develop their language skills here at BYU, in the Scandinavian country of their choice, or do a study abroad or internship in Scandinavia.
There are two Bjarnason scholarships, a Travel Scholarship and a Student of the Year award. Apply for the Travel Scholarship below. The Students of the Year are nominated by professors and instructors.
The Travel Scholarships and Students of the Year awards will be announced in April. A small banquet in which the awards are presented will take place at the end of winter semester.
The Travel Scholarships are for students who have taken a 202 or higher language course and who wish to advance their proficiency in the target language. This scholarship pays for travel to the Nordic country of the student’s choice. Students need to be enrolled in a level-appropriate BYU Scandinavian language course of their choosing at the time of receiving the award.
The scholarship may also be used to cover a portion of a summer language program tuition. The amount of each scholarship is between $1500 and $2000 depending on the cost of airfare and the language program tuition. There are approximately 5 of these scholarships available each year.
To apply for this scholarship, click on the button below and follow the instructions. Applications must be submitted by March 15 for Spring/Summer.