FAQ | Via Nova

Who is Via for?

Via has something for everyone who wants to get involved, however, our primary purpose is to create an environment for a select group of hungry young adults who desire a deeper and more holistic educative experience before beginning or finishing a college degree or setting out on a career.

What are the ages of participants in Via?

Fellows applying to the 2025-2026 cohort should be between ages 18 and 22 by August of 2025.

Is Via co-ed?

Via has both a men's cohort and a women's cohort.

Each cohort has their own house but the cohorts come together for most of Via's events.

Where is Via located?

Via's houses are in the heart of Cajun country: Lafayette, Louisiana.

What do Via Fellows study?

This link will allow you to view the syllabus for Via's core curriculum. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in other courses in addition to the core curriculum throughout the year as well. The content of these supplemental courses vary year by year. This fall 2025, the additional courses feature Dostoevsky, Virgil, Augustine, the idea of logos, and political theology.

How do I apply to Via?

The first step in Via's application process is requesting an application. Use the contact page here to share a bit about yourself and we'll take it from there.

When is the deadline to apply?

Via operates on a rolling admissions timeline. If a student is remotely interested in enrolling in Via, we recommend reaching out using the contact page here to request an application. Via's application process is designed to help applicants understand what Via has to offer on a deeper level, and to discern if Via is a good fit.

Does Via have a come and see or an open house?

Via doesn't have a specific day or weekend for interested Fellows to visit, but we welcome visitors starting in September. If you would like to visit, please reach out to admissions@studyworkpray.org.

How much does Via cost?

Via does not charge tuition.

We believe that the experience of Via is so important that financial barriers should be removed as much as possible to allow students to participate in Via with minimal or no financial stress.

The Fellows' only expenses are the normal personal expenses they have, in addition to their rent ($350/month if a Fellow is sharing a room, which most do).

Fellows' food expenses are offset by several communal meals each week and the ability to meal prep.

How does Via pay for all of this?

Via has been generously supported by the lay faithful. The Fellows' annual fundraising (a minimum of $7,000 per Fellow) covers about one third of Via's annual expenses. The remaining expenses are covered by a wide array of generous Catholics who support Via directly. We aim to keep Via free because we believe formation in Via is worth it. Additionally, Via's most important features don't cost much money. The most critical ingredients to making Via work are: young people hungry for a full life, some great books, and a team of good people willing to lend their talents and energy towards our mission. Most of the team that makes Via's formative experience happen, do so pro bono. It takes a village to do what we do, and in Louisiana we are blessed with an incredible village willing to make major sacrifices for non-earthly wages. In sum, Via is paid for by generous donations of the lay faithful and thanks to a slew of zealous people working for cheap or free.

What are the fruits of doing Via?

Some of the more tangible fruits of formation in Via can be seen in the career plans of Fellows before doing Via and after doing Via.

Rachel came into Via thinking she should study art at a university (but her top scholarship opportunity was at a university that taught only modern and secular art, neither of which she was particularly excited about) and left Via with a concrete plan for private training with a sacred artist who is now teaching her skills much more suited to her interests and with a training plan that will cost less money and take less time.

Collin came into Via deadset on completing his nursing program in New Orleans and left Via with an unexpectedly generous scholarship to the Catholic University of America to study biology and philosophy and pursue medical school.

It's not necessarily the case that these particular Fellows' new plans are better than their old plans, but the fact that their plans drastically changed throughout their time in Via shows that there were desires and opportunities that if not for Via would have likely gone unrealized. At the same time, our students sometimes leave Via with the same essential career plans that they came into Via with, but always with a greater confidence and a deeper understanding of how best to pursue those same future plans.

That being said, the fruits of Via that we care the most about are those which we cannot fully observe nor engineer. Our primary hope for our participants is that our students finish Via zealous to live the life of a Christian disciple, in all its diverse forms. However, it is ultimately up to the Fellow to apply himself to the structures of Via in order to receive all that it has to offer--when this happens he can count on enjoying the extraordinary fruits normally received from Via.

Frequently Asked Questions