Total cost of Wrangell Mountains Field Studies 2025 will be $13,400 (see Tuition and Field Fee and Scholarships and Financial Aid below).
Students are responsible for securing their place in WMFS with a $500 check or online deposit toward the Field Fee two weeks (14 days) after notification of acceptance to the program.
Tuition and Field Fee:
Tuition for six (6) upper-division semester credits through the University of Maine, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, paid directly to the University of Maine (online) — $2400.
Field Fee paid directly to the Wrangell Mountains Center, the parent nonprofit of WMFS. The Field Fee goes toward some instructor costs plus all the logistical and operations costs of running a field research program in remote Alaskan mountains. Costs to run WMFS vary slightly each year, so the field fee does too - total field fee costs for 2025 will be $11,000.
The Wrangell Mountains Center Field Fee includes the following:
Food We eat three hearty meals a day, with plenty of access to snacks etc. in town and in the field. We support a variety of dietary restrictions, so if you have a food restriction or severe food allergy, please contact our staff directly at fieldstudies@wrangells.org. We bring generous portions of food into the backcountry on our two trips. To stay adequately supplied and only carry a week of food at a time, we coordinate two food drops by plane when we are on the three-week expedition.
Lodging: Students mostly camp in tents near campus while we are in McCarthy, and occasionally stay in wall tents. Our off-grid accommodations include outdoor shower systems, clean outhouses, kitchen and dining hall, the classroom, study space, and other campus buildings. Lodging in Anchorage is the student’s responsibility/cost.
Academic Instruction: In-depth, hands-on mentorship and training from scientists, artists, and researchers; interdisciplinary curriculum and field research projects; extensive academic lectures from faculty and visiting instructors; skill-building workshops; seminars; natural history observation and field sketching instruction.
Safety Training and Guiding: We provide instruction in glacier and creek/river crossing, backcountry travel and safety in mountain, alpine tundra, and boreal forest settings, and provide general wilderness safety management by WFR (Wilderness First Responder) certified instructors.
Transportation During the Program: We occasionally travel in vans and shuttles.
Group Gear: Including bear spray, bear-safe food storage, microspikes for glacial traverses, etc. If you have any questions about gear, please see the Gear List on Student Info page or contact the Program Coordinator at fieldstudies@wrangells.org
Technical Equipment: Instructor med kits, GPS devices, satellite phone, repair kits, field research equipment, etc.
Energy: We are almost completely solar-powered, save for having to run a small gas generator during long cloudy spells, and using gas for transportation of personnel and students during the program. In the backcountry, we provide white gas to use with camp stoves for cooking.
Consumable products: Art supplies, paper, sanitary products, soap, and other consumables we use in-house.
Participants are financially responsible for the following:
Travel to and from Anchorage. The Wrangell Mountains Center will pick up students and bring them to our campus in McCarthy, Alaska, then return students to an address of their choosing in Anchorage at the conclusion of the program.
Backcountry equipment responsibilities: Detailed on the Gear Checklist on Student Info page.
Health and Evacuation Insurance: Students are responsible for carrying insurance for any medical care or evacuation required as a result of an illness or injury.
Any other costs in McCarthy or Anchorage before or after the program.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
The cost to run WMFS is high, and we do everything in our power to keep the Field Fee low. The Wrangell Mountains Center and WMFS depend on the passionate labor of faculty and community volunteers, and a minimal staff, to ensure a successful summer. If you would like to apply for financial assistance for WMFS, please indicate so on the program application and contact fieldstudies@wrangells.org with any questions. The Wrangell Mountains Center and WMFS are committed to working with students to manage the Field Fee.
We recommend seeking funding opportunities at your home university and/or with third-party grants and scholarships such as the Schmidt Charitable Trust (Alaska Native students, Alaskan minority students, and/or Alaskan students from rural areas are invited to apply). We are available to assist with grant/scholarship applications and to send Letters of Support. The Wrangell Mountains Center will continually prioritize fundraising and grant-writing for scholarship opportunities in order to provide greater accessibility to WMFS.
The Juneau Icefield Research Program maintains a list of External Grant and Scholarship Opportunities compiled by JIRP alumni. This is a great resource for undergraduate and graduate students seeking funding, and many of the same listed resources are applicable to WMFS.