Jefferson Scholarship | |
---|---|
Awarded for | Merit-based to high school seniors |
Description | full scholarship to attend the University of Virginia |
Sponsored by | Jefferson Scholars Foundation |
Location | Charlottesville, Virginia, USA |
Post-nominals | JS |
Established | 1981 |
Website | jeffersonscholars |
The Jefferson Scholarship is a merit scholarship that provides four years of fully funded study at the University of Virginia in the United States. Considered one of the world's most prestigious[ citation needed ], the scholarship covers tuition and room and board, and also provides money for summer travel, independent research, and study abroad. Application to the scholarship is by invitation only. Around 30 "Scholars" are selected annually from some 6,000 schools who may each nominate one student. Scholars have included 24 Rhodes Scholars and Marshall Scholars, Olympians, Pulitzer Prize winners, and others.
In 1981, the first Jefferson Scholarship was endowed and named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and a benefactor of the University of Virginia. [1] The program has grown since with the support of benefactors and endowments. As of 2023, the endowment was $820.9 million and supported 139 scholars. [2] Out-of-state recipients receive about $347,000, as of 2024. [3]
The Jefferson Scholars Foundation aims to identify, attract, and nurture "individuals of extraordinary intellectual range and depth who possess the highest concomitant qualities of: Leadership, Scholarship, and Citizenship". [4]
Scholars are nominated as the most accomplished student at their respective school, and then compete through a series of interview rounds from local to regional, national and the finals, which are held in Charlottesville, Virginia. [5] [6] There are currently 70 nominating regions, with over 6,000 schools eligible to nominate a student, and a pool of students exceeding 800,000. [7] In 2020, over 2,100 high schools nominated students; 34 were selected, or less than 2% of the nominees. [3] [8]
Designation | Number of candidates | Ratio | Percent |
---|---|---|---|
Graduating seniors at designated schools | 840,000 (approx.) eligible to apply | 1 in 1 | 100% |
Jefferson Scholar Candidate | 2100 (approx.) | 1 in 400 | 0.25% |
Jefferson Scholar | 30 | 1 in 28000 | 0.00357% |
The Leadership and Citizenship Institute is a two-week seminar for all Scholars, taking place at the end of their freshman year. It is held on the grounds of the University of Virginia, and consists of workshops, group discussions and personal exploration, and is designed to foster and develop the characteristics of leadership and citizenship in scholars. [9]
Scholars are encouraged to partake in foreign travel and study after their sophomore year, and invited to undertake a self-designed exploration into a topic of personal interest. [9] Many also take the opportunity to study at one of the university's partners for a semester. [9]
The Exploratory Fund, as an initiative of the Foundation, provides seed funding for Scholars' projects and concepts. Developed to support the innovation of Scholars, the Foundation encourages Scholars to build projects that serve societal and cultural development. New commercial or philanthropic enterprises within or outside the university can also apply for funding consideration. [10]
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original governing Board of Visitors included three U.S. presidents: Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, the latter as sitting president of the United States at the time of its foundation. As its first two rectors, Presidents Jefferson and Madison played key roles in the university's foundation, with Jefferson designing both the original courses of study and the university's architecture. Located within its historic 1,135-acre central campus, the university is composed of eight undergraduate and three professional schools: the School of Law, the Darden School of Business, and the School of Medicine.
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. Via the program, competitively-selected American citizens including students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, and artists may receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet high school in Fairfax County, Virginia operated by Fairfax County Public Schools. The school occupies the building of the previous Thomas Jefferson High School, constructed in 1964. A selective admissions program was initiated in 1985 through the cooperation of state and county governments and corporate sponsorship from the defense and technology industries. It is one of 18 Virginia Governor's Schools, and a founding member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
The Darden School of Business is the graduate business school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school offers MBA, PhD, and Executive Education programs.
The Cavalier Marching Band (CMB) is the marching band at the University of Virginia. The band's original director, William "Bill" Pease, was the first full-time marching band director in the history of the University of Virginia. The Cavalier Marching Band made its debut on September 11, 2004, after a considerable donation was made by University of Virginia benefactors Carl and Hunter Smith to found the band in 2003. The CMB uses a mixture of both DCI-style glide step and Big Ten-style high step in its performances. Of its 200 members, all seven undergraduate schools at the University of Virginia are represented.
The University of Virginia School of Law is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society is the oldest continuously existing collegiate debating society in North America. The society was founded on July 14, 1825, in Room Seven, West Lawn at the University of Virginia. Named for the founder of the university, Thomas Jefferson, the society regularly meets on Friday evenings at "The Hall" in the Lawn.
The Churchill Scholarship is awarded by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States to graduates of the more than one hundred colleges and universities invited to participate in the Churchill Scholarship Program, for the pursuit of research and study in the physical and natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, for one year at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge.
The University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences is the largest of the University of Virginia's ten schools. Consisting of both a graduate and an undergraduate program, the College comprises the liberal arts and humanities section of the University.
The University of Virginia School of Medicine is the graduate medical school of the University of Virginia. The school's facilities are on the University of Virginia grounds adjacent to Academical Village in Charlottesville, Virginia as well as a second campus located in Falls Church, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, UVA SoM is the tenth oldest medical school in the United States. The School of Medicine confers Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, and is closely associated with both the University of Virginia Health System and Inova Health System. UVA SoM is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious public medical schools in the United States.
The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program is a joint merit scholarship and leadership development program at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The scholarship offers participants a unique "dual citizenship" at both Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill. Approximately 25-30 students are selected from the pool of applicants to both universities.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who are US citizens or permanent residents and intend to pursue careers in these fields.
Mortimer Maxwell Caplin was an American lawyer and educator, and the founding member of Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered.
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship was the first merit scholarship program established in the United States. It was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1951 and was named for its benefactors, John Motley Morehead III and the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation. The Morehead-Cain is among the most prestigious undergraduate educational opportunities worldwide, with only 3 percent of candidates gaining admission each year.
Gilbert J. "Gilly" Sullivan was the longtime director of the University of Virginia Alumni Association for 35 years. Appointed to the position in 1958 after the retirement of J. Malcolm "Mack" Luck, Sullivan remained in the position until his retirement in 1993. During his years at the Alumni Association, he helped develop the Virginia Student Aid Foundation and significant expansion of the Jefferson Scholarship Program.
Henry Julian Abraham was a German-born American scholar on the judiciary and constitutional law. He was James Hart Professor of Government Emeritus at the University of Virginia. He was the author of 13 books, most in multiple editions, and more than 100 articles on the U.S. Supreme Court, judicial appointments, judicial process, and civil rights and liberties.
The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation offers merit scholarships to 44 partner colleges and universities in the United States. The foundation and scholarships are named for their benefactors, E. Roe Stamps IV and Penelope W. Stamps. In general, in the scholarship programs focus on the support of outstanding undergraduate students, without regard to need or program of study.
The history of the University of Virginia opens with its conception by Thomas Jefferson at the beginning of the early 19th century. The university was chartered in 1819, and classes commenced in 1825.
Maurie D. McInnis is an American art historian, currently serving as the 24th president of Yale University since July 2024. She previously served as the sixth president of Stony Brook University from 2020 to 2024.
Melissa Erica Murray is an academic and legal scholar who is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and the Faculty Director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center at NYU Law, where she has been a member of the faculty since July 1, 2018. Murray was previously the interim dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law.
11."Fully Funded Scholarships in USA for African 2023". www.uskill.com. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.