National Society of Collegiate Scholars | |
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NSCS | |
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Founded | April 30, 1994 George Washington University |
Type | Honor |
Affiliation | ACHS |
Status | Active |
Scope | National |
Motto | Honor. Inspire. Engage. |
Colors | Purple and Gold |
Publication | 3 Pillars Blog |
Chapters | 260 |
Members | 90,000 collegiate 1,500,000 lifetime |
Founder | Stephen Loflin |
Headquarters | 2000 M Street NW Suite 480G Washington, D.C. 20036 United States |
Website | nscs |
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is a national non-profit academic honor society for college students in the United States. NSCS has active chapters at nearly 300 colleges and universities in the United States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. [1] [2]
As of Summer 2023, NSCS had nearly 300 registered and active on-campus chapters, including the national chapter and 1.4 million members, including 90,000 active members and 25,000 new members each year. [3] [4]
Prior to January 2020, membership was available to first- and second-year college students with GPAs of at least 3.4. [5] As of January 2020, the GPA requirement was reduced to 3.0. [6] In September 2022, NSCS brought back the requirement that students must have a GPA of at least 3.4 and be in the top 20% of their class. Members who were admitted with a 3.0-3.4 will remain members.
The organization has been criticized for charging a membership fee for opportunities that are available for free, with one campus newspaper calling it a "scam". [7]
NSCS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization accredited by the Association of College Honor Societies, [8] [9] [10] and is tax-exempt. [11]
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is a member of several organizations, which include the Association of College Honor Societies, the certifying agency for college and university honor societies in the United States. [1] Other organizations of which NSCS is a member include the following:
Notable figures from the organization's most recent (2018) Form 990 report to the IRS [15] include:
As of August, 2023, NSCS offers three tiers of membership. [16] Whichever level is chosen requires a one-time application fee; hence, an applicant can join at the Premium level and skip the Basic level. There are presently no annual dues. Application fees are:
Basic membership offers access to a scholarship pool of up to $500,000 in scholarships and awards annually, some of which goes directly to chapter funding. There are 90,000 active members (students) who are eligible to apply for these funds. [16]
Premium membership suggests "access to apply for an additional $100 million in scholarships via The Hub PLUS." [17] This is a funding source not under the control of NSCS, but rather, the Hub Foundation International, whose website explains that eligibility includes those engaging in "Islamic Studies and related fields." It provides funds for up to 15 students each year. [17] The relationship between the two organizations is unclear. [16]
The third tier of membership, "Premium Plus" allows several personal coaching sessions, such as resume review, personal mentoring and a 'graduation package'. [16]
NSCS was founded in 1994 at George Washington University in Washington, DC, by Steve Loflin, who, at the time, worked in Student Affairs at George Washington University. [18] [19] The first NSCS Convocation Induction was held on the George Washington University campus on April 30, 1994. Loflin founded NSCS to recognize students who performed well academically during their first years in college and to provide members with an opportunity to take a leadership role in the organization. [1]
in 2014, the organization celebrated its 20th anniversary with a gala at the Hay-Adams Hotel. Speakers included the late Colin Powell.
In 2017, NSCS partnered with Active Minds to help remove stigmas surrounding mental health. NSCS and Active minds emphasized that there is no correlation between GPA and mental health, and that high achievers should also not hesitate to seek mental counseling when necessary. [20] [21]
In 2020, NSCS entered a second major partnership with the Alzheimer's Association. This facilitated letter writing campaigns, virtual visits, and fundraising for the organization, conducted by dozens of chapters across the country.
In 2021, NSCS went through a rebranding, releasing a new logo and color scheme. At the same time, the organization launched new programs and services for members including a new portal to allow members from all campuses to interact online, access benefits, and find mentors.
NSCS celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024 as the organization simultaneously celebrates over 1.5 million lifetime members.
NSCS offers both undergraduate and graduate scholarships totaling over $400,000 per year. [22]
NSCS provides members with access to over $500,000 in scholarships and awards. Premium membership in NSCS "provides access to $100 million in scholarships via a related company, the Hub Foundation", but the amount distributed is not guaranteed to NSCS students, and the $100M appears to be an investment pool, a fraction of which is distributed, and for the fifteen people that may win scholarships, they are limited to specific fields of study. [23] [16] [17]
The Golden Key International Honour Society is an Atlanta, Georgia-based non-profit organization founded in 1977 to recognize academic achievement among college and university students. Membership into Golden Key is offered to undergraduate and graduate students recognized to be among the top 15% of their class by GPA.
The Tau Beta Pi Association is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity. Specifically, the association was founded "to mark in a fitting manner those who have conferred honor upon their Alma Mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as students in engineering, or by their attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges".
Upsilon Pi Epsilon (ΥΠΕ) is the first honor society dedicated to the computing and information disciplines. Informally known as UPE, Upsilon Pi Epsilon was founded in 1967, at Texas A&M University. It has more than 300 chapters worldwide.
Alpha Lambda Delta (ΑΛΔ) is an honor society for students who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher during their first year or term of higher education.
Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity (ΦΣΠ) is a gender-inclusive/mixed-sex national honor fraternity based in the United States. The fraternity is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania to foster scholarship, leadership, and fellowship. Phi Sigma Pi chapters are at more than 140 four-year collegiate institutions.
Delta Phi Alpha National German Honor Society (ΔΦΑ) is an American collegiate honorary society for German studies. Delta Phi Alpha was founded on May 27, 1929, at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The society has chartered over three hundred chapters at colleges and universities in the United States.
Sigma Tau Delta (ΣΤΔ) is a US-based, international honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities who are within the top 30% of their class and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. It presently has over 770 chapters in the United States and abroad. The organization inducts over 7500 new members annually, and is the largest honors organization in its field and one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS).
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is an American international student organization that consists of chapters in middle schools. The NJHS was founded by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and today has chapters in the United States, other U.S. territories, and around the world. To be considered for membership, applicants must reach the five standards which include leadership, citizenship, character, service, and scholarship. The National Junior Honor Society recognizes students who exemplify leadership and citizenship, as well as provide educational opportunities. For the scholarship standard, the student scholar must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 from a scale of 4.0. This, however, can vary between schools.
Phi Sigma Iota (ΦΣΙ) is an international honor society for students of modern and classical foreign languages and literatures. Its primary objectives are the recognition of ability and attainments in languages and literature and the promotion of a sentiment of amity between cultures with differing languages.
Alpha Epsilon Delta (ΑΕΔ) is a U.S. health preprofessional honor society. The organization currently has more than 144,000 members within 186 chapters at universities throughout the United States, making it the world's largest honor society serving all students from different backgrounds in the pursuit of a healthcare career.
Sigma Delta Pi (ΣΔΠ) is the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. It was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California at Berkeley.
Pi Delta Phi (ΠΔΦ) is the National French Honor Society—La Société d'Honneur de Français—for undergraduate and graduate students at accredited public and private colleges and universities in the United States.
Theta Alpha Kappa (ΘΑΚ) is an American national honor society for religious studies and theology.
Scabbard and Blade (S&B) was a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership was open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society was modeled after the U.S. Army, calling its chapters companies
Sigma Lambda Alpha (ΣΛΑ) is a North American scholastic honor society that recognizes academic achievement among students in the field of landscape architecture. It was established in 1977 at the University of Minnesota by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture.
Kappa Omicron Nu (ΚΟΝ) is a college honor society, based in the United States, for students in human sciences. Kappa Omicron Nu chapters are located at colleges and universities that offer a strong human sciences program. Its mission is to promote empowered leaders through excellence in scholarship, leadership, and research in the human sciences. There is also a strong focus on service and contribution to the local community.
Rho Chi (ΡΧ) is an international honor society for pharmaceutical sciences. It was founded on May 19, 1922, to "encourage high scholastic achievement and fellowship among students in pharmacy and to promote the pharmaceutical sciences".
Pi Omega Pi (ΠΩΠ) is an American scholastic honor society recognizing academic achievement among students in the field of business education.
Phi Upsilon Omicron (ΦΥΟ), sometimes called Phi U, is a scholastic honor society that recognizes academic achievement among students in the field of family and consumer science.
Chi Alpha Sigma (ΧΑΣ), also known as the National College Athlete Honor Society, is an honor society for collegiate student-athletes. Established in 1996, it was the first national society to honor scholar-athletes who excel in both the classroom and athletics.
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