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How to Win the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
By
Will Geiger
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.
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Kira is a content writer at Scholarships360. Kira earned a Bachelor of Media and Journalism with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Cari Schultz is an Educational Review Board Advisor at Scholarships360, where she reviews content featured on the site. For over 20 years, Cari has worked in college admissions (Baldwin Wallace University, The Ohio State University, University of Kentucky) and as a college counselor (Columbus School for Girls).
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Maria Geiger is Director of Scholarship Services at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is a very prestigious scholarship that aims to support high-achieving high school seniors. Started in 1964, this program has since awarded thousands of scholarships to high school students.
Keep reading to find out more about the Presidential Scholars program including how to apply, what the application consists of, and what recipients earn!
President Scholarship background
Each year, only 161 students from across the United States are recognized as Presidential Scholars (you can see the listing of students who were recently recognized as Presidential Scholars here).
Since 1964, there have been a few changes to acknowledge different groups of high-achieving students. Now, students who have exceptional talents and accomplishments in the visual, creative, performing arts, as well as in career and technical fields are also recognized.
Apply to these scholarships due soon
More scholarships for HS seniorsPresidential Scholarship eligibility requirements
The general requirements for the Presidential Scholars program include the following:
- Students must be U.S. Citizens or Legal Permanent U.S. residents by the application deadline (which is in February)
- Students must be graduating high school seniors
While these are the baseline eligibility requirements, the application is not open to everyone who meets them. The Presidential Scholars program is a merit scholarship, there are many requirements for completing the application, and it all starts with the invitation.
How do I apply for the Presidential Scholars program?
The Presidential Scholars Program is available on an invite-only basis. So even if you are eligible, you may not necessarily be able to apply unless you are invited. Here are the criteria for each of the three main pathways of general, arts, and career and technical education (CTE):
General
For the general Presidential Scholars pathway, the most common way that a student is invited is through achieving a high score on their ACT or SAT. Alternatively, students can be nominated by their Chief State School Officer or a Presidential Scholar partner organization.
Related: What is a high SAT score?
Arts
For the arts pathway, students must demonstrate “academic achievement and talent in the visual, creative, or performing arts.” Additionally, students must participate in the National YoungArts Foundation’s nationwide YoungArts program.
Career Technology Education (CTE)
Finally, for the CTE pathway, students must be nominated by their state’s Chief State School officer and show academic achievement in career and technical programs.
Presidential Scholars application
Once a student is invited to apply for the Presidential Scholars Program, they will need to complete the application.
The application entails several components including:
- Essays
- Self-assessments
- Transcripts
- Secondary School Report (completed by an authorized official from your school)
Students in each area–general, arts, and CTE–will be assessed by the scholarship committee based on their academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership, service, and essays.
What can I earn?
Unlike other scholarship programs, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program does not award a monetary scholarship.
Instead, students chosen as Presidential Scholar will receive an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. and are presented with a medallion at a special ceremony sponsored by the White House.
In addition to the trip and the White House awards ceremony, scholars receive a ton of non-monetary benefits like:
- Network with leaders: Gain access to important national and international figures, including government officials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists and other accomplished people.
- Experience Washington, D.C.: Opportunities to attend recitals, receptions and ceremonies held in their honor; and visit D.C. museums and monuments.
- Meet accomplished peers: Gain the chance to exchange ideas with similarly motivated and accomplished peers, and to forge friendships that last a lifetime.
In short, while students do not receive money, the Presidential Scholars program is highly prestigious due to the overall selectivity of the program and the networking opportunities it provides.
Tips for becoming a Presidential Scholar
If you are looking to become a Presidential Scholar, there are a few things you can do to put yourself in the best position to receive an invitation to apply:
- Start testing early to give yourself time to retake if necessary and prepare to take the SAT/ACT with practice tests.
- If you’re pursuing an arts track, start looking into YoungArts and join as early as possible.
- Make connections with academic leadership at your school and ask for letters of recommendation.
- Polish up your writing skills for your application essays.
How to write your Presidential Scholars essay
One of the most important aspects of the Presidential Scholarships application is your personal essay. This is your chance to tell the scholarship committee about yourself, giving you the opportunity to show your personal character, talk about your achievements and give leadership examples.
The prompts vary from year to year, but some general advice is to try and be creative in your responses. Avoid generic answers. Before you even start writing, take some time to reflect on the prompt and see if you have any personal experiences that could be tied into your essay.
The Presidential Scholars selection committee looks for students who are not only academically gifted but also service-oriented, creative, resilient, and intellectually curious. Try to appeal to these values through your voice and experiences.
For more writing tips, take a look at our guide on how to write an essay about yourself. You can also check out our guides on how to write a 250 word essay, how to write a 500 word essay, and how to write a scholarship resume to help you throughout this process. If you need help starting your essays, we have you covered!
Final thoughts
For more information about the Presidential Scholars Program, you can check out the FAQ on the Department of Education website. You can also contact the scholarship committee with any other questions.
If this scholarship program doesn’t work out for you, there are still plenty of other options out there! Look into the Questbridge scholarship to determine if you are eligible to apply. Be sure to check out all full ride scholarship opportunities that are available!