The Edge City India scholarship and volunteer discount can't stack. That prices out the people they're for
Edge City India runs Oct 11 – Nov 1 in Mandrem, Goa. Full pass is $1,650, Indian citizens get 50% off. Accommodation and meals aren't included, and they don't cover flights.
Here's the part that seems broken.
They have two routes for people who can't afford it:
- Scholarships — the Inflection Fellowship offers 40% off, and a referral gave me 30% on top of local pricing. I was told my ticket could come to ~$250.
- Volunteering — 50% discount for 20 hrs/week, 75% for 30, 100% for 40.
Lucy Chen (Edge City) confirmed these don't stack. Volunteering gives you the full volunteer discount and you lose the scholarships entirely.
So the volunteer route covers more, but only if you can commit 20-40 hours a week. The scholarship route is the only one that works for someone with a full-time job.
For someone who'd need the scholarship most — someone already stretched to make ~$345 of ~$2,000 — volunteering is the option priced out of reach. 20 hrs/week for 3 weeks is 60 hours. That's a part-time job.
Worth clarifying: my application was accepted. I'm not asking Edge City for anything. I'm asking whether the discount structure can change, or whether anyone has worked out a way around it.
If the two genuinely can't stack, would anyone consider prorating volunteering hours — say 10-12/week — against the remaining balance? That's the version that seems to fit people who need it.
Curious whether others hit this, and whether it's a known constraint.
If you or you know people who can sponsor, grant this kind of participation or interested to help with any part of it then I'll be grateful as well.