¡Lánzate!/Take Off!
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¡Lánzate!/Take Off! Higher Education Travel Award Program
Through this national initiative, the ¡Lánzate!/Take Off! Higher Education Travel Award Program will award roundtrip flights to undergraduate and graduate students across the country. We recognize that long-distance travel is a major barrier for many students pursuing higher education.
The purpose of this program is to expand educational access and persistence by addressing travel-related barriers that disproportionately affect students with limited financial resources to stay connected to home and school.
The ¡Lánzate!/Take Off! Higher Education Travel Award Program is open to all eligible students regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or background. Awards are made based on demonstrated financial need, distance from home, educational barriers, and the potential impact of travel support on a student’s academic and professional success. Eligibility requirements include enrollment at a college/university located at least 200 miles from a student’s home and the submission of required essays.
All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will be considered. Final selection is competitive and based on essay responses, demonstrated financial need, and alignment with the program’s mission to reduce barriers to higher education access and persistence. A selection committee consisting of national education advocates and community leaders selects recipients to be awarded 8 (eight) one-way Southwest Airlines Flight E-Passes, equivalent to four roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines for student use when traveling to/from the college/university. The tickets can be used for travel to any of the Southwest Airlines’ domestic destinations as listed on www.southwest.com.
Apply
Deadline: June 16, 2026
Program Eligibility and Terms
Eligibility Criteria:
- Students must be enrolled in a college at least 200 miles from their designated home at time of application.
- Students must be in good academic standing as determined by his or her college.
- Students must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
- Students must be 18 years old or older at time of application.
- All eligible students regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or background may apply.
- All federal government regulations related to air travel and Transportation Security Administration rules must be adhered to, including, but not limited to, producing a valid government-issued photo ID for air travel.
- One application per student must be submitted online by the specified deadline of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT (Central Time). Incomplete applications and applications not submitted online will be disqualified.
- The travel needed must be to and from any of the Southwest Airlines domestic destinations listed here.
- Students will be required to complete and upload an Enrollment Verification Form with their application (the “Required Documentation”). The Enrollment Verification Form must be signed by the college Registrar’s Office and must verify enrollment and grade point average.
- Selected students will be required to complete an IRS Form W-9 with the student’s Social Security Number (SSN) or other Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
Essay
Applicants must submit a personal essay that directly responds to the prompts outlined in the application. Essays must be between 300 and 500 words and demonstrate college-level writing and grammar. Applications with essays outside of this word range will be disqualified. Essays should thoughtfully address the applicant’s socio-economic background, including factors such as financial need, first-generation college status, family responsibilities, or educational barriers that have shaped their academic or professional journey.
- Essay for All Applicants: Describe a significant challenge you have faced—or expect to face—in your pursuit of a college degree. How has this challenge been shaped by your financial circumstances, family responsibilities, or educational environment? How do you plan to navigate it, and how might it shape your future?
- Essay for Undergraduate Students: If selected, how would airline e-passes be used to support your academic, personal, or professional growth?
- Essay for Graduate Students: If selected, how would the airline e-passes be used to help meet your academic or professional goals as a graduate student, including conferences, research presentations, and professional development?
Application Checklist
The application deadline is Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT (Central Time).
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Your Enrollment Verification Form must be completed, signed, and ready to upload when submitting.
Please be sure your essays are 300-500 words. Applications not meeting requirements will not be considered. For scholarship essay writing tips, visit https://www.princetonreview.com/collegeadvice/scholarship-essays.
Selection
A selection committee consisting of national education advocates and community leaders will review all qualified applications and essays.
All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will be considered. Selection is competitive and based on a holistic review of essay responses, demonstrated financial need, educational or economic barriers, and alignment with the program’s mission to reduce travel‑related obstacles to higher education access and persistence. While all eligible students are encouraged to apply, the selection committee will give additional consideration to:
- Students attending HACU‑member institutions, in recognition of those institutions’ service to students with high financial need and limited access to higher education resources; and
- Students who have experienced systemic educational or economic barriers, including first‑generation college students, students with significant financial need, and those from communities with historically limited access to higher education.
- The decision of the selection committee is final.
- The selection committee will determine up to 175 students who will receive eight (8) one-way Flight E-passes, equivalent to four roundtrip tickets
Southwest Airlines Flight E-passes & Notification:
¡Lánzate!/Take Off! Higher Education Travel Award Program
- Student must travel to/from Southwest Airlines destinations on published service only.
- NOTE: The application will have a drop-down menu for students to select Southwest Airlines destinations only.
- The Southwest Airlines Flight E-pass is valid for one-way travel on Southwest-operated, published, scheduled service in the United States, its territories and its possessions, including Puerto Rico. The Southwest Flight E-pass is not valid on interline or codeshare service. The Southwest Airlines Flight E-pass is not valid to/from any international destinations.
- Ground transportation, hotel accommodations, and travel expenses are not provided. Recipients are responsible for transportation to and from the designated Southwest Airlines destination.
- The Southwest Airlines Flight E-pass will bear the date of issue and the date of expiration. Southwest e-passes will be valid from August 1, 2026 – August 1, 2027. Expiration dates will not be extended, and travel must be completed on or before the expiration date.
- The Southwest Airlines Flight E-pass is non-refundable and is not redeemable for cash or credit. The Southwest Flight E-pass will not be replaced for any reason, including, without limitation, if lost, stolen, or fraudulently used. The Southwest Flight E-pass is non-transferrable and cannot be sold to a third party. Sale, auction, or re-tendering of the Southwest Flight E-pass for money or otherwise is strictly prohibited. The Southwest Flight E-pass may not be used for promotional purposes unless previously approved by Southwest. Any suspected fraud, misrepresentation, misuse, abuse or violation of the Southwest Flight E-pass Rules and Regulations may result in cancellation of the Southwest flight e-pass(es).
- Each individual Southwest Airlines Flight E-pass is valid for one-way travel. Two Southwest Flight E-passes are required to book roundtrip travel.
- Southwest Flight E-Passes include two free checked bags, subject to size, weight restrictions, and additional bag fees. Please visit baggage policy for details: Baggage Policy.
- Southwest Flight E-Passes must be redeemed online through the unique link within your ID90 Travel award email. ID90 Travel award emails will come from noreply@epass.southwest.com. It is recommended you save this email as a safe-sender within your email and security tools to ensure receipt.
- Students must meet all rules of the sponsoring organization.
- All recipients must comply with the Southwest Airlines Contact of Carriage.
Notification
HACU will send an auto reply e-mail acknowledging receipt of the application.
- No notification will be sent as to whether the application is incomplete or complete.
- By participating, students give permission to HACU to verify enrollment at his or her college.
- HACU will send email communications to selected students by Monday, July 13, 2026, notifying each student of the selection committee awards.
- Each selected student must acknowledge email communication to accept the award and return the completed IRS W-9 form by email by Monday, July 20, 2026. Failure to accept the award and return the completed Form W-9 by July 20, 2026, will result in forfeiture of the travel award.
- Selected students will receive email communication, and the awarded number of flight e-passes from HACU by July 31, 2026.
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Contact Information
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GENERAL
For general questions, please contact:
SAN ANTONIO OFFICE
- 210-692-3805
- scholarship@hacu.net
