Ninety-five high school seniors competing for the University's Jefferson Scholarship arrived in Charlottesville yesterday for the final round of this year's competition. The finalists, including students from all over the country and five international students, will participate in seminars, examinations and interviews through Saturday, said James Wright, executive director of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation.
Approximately 40 finalists per year receive the merit-based scholarship. In total, in-state Jefferson Scholars receive $60,000 and out-of-state Jefferson Scholars receive $125,000 over their four years at the University. The scholarship is intended to cover the entire cost of attending the University for a Jefferson Scholar's undergraduate career.
The final round comes at the end of a selection process which began last fall. Nationwide, 2,000 secondary schools, including all of Virginia's secondary schools, were eligible to nominate students for scholarship consideration by Nov. 1.
In addition, the Office of Admissions identifies approximately 15 candidates through an at-large selection process during the application review who may otherwise not have been nominated by an eligible secondary school, including international students.
The Jefferson Scholars Foundation typically invites between three and six of the applicants identified by the Office of Admissions in the at-large selection to participate in the next round of the scholarship competition, Wright said.
After being nominated by their schools, 836 candidates attended one of 44 regional competitions nationwide or competed in an at-large international selection during December and January. After the regional selection process, the 95 finalists now competing in Charlottesville remained.
Throughout the scholarship competition process, selection committees, composed of University alumni, faculty and friends of the University, consider candidates' scholarship, leadership and citizenship, Wright said.
Current Jefferson Scholars remember the final round of scholarship competition as a worthwhile experience in itself.
"It was such an awesome opportunity to meet a really diverse group of people," first-year Jefferson Scholar Jaquetta Upton said. "I remember I had dinner night with people from Ghana and Pakistan. I forgot I was competing while I was here."
Jefferson Scholar finalists typically display a high level of scholastic achievement and committed involvement in a wide range of activities, Wright said.
This year's finalists have a composite SAT average of 1483 and nearly half are either valedictorian or salutatorian of their graduating classes, according to the press release.
"It is fair to say that all of the candidates that are here have outstanding academic records and have taken the most rigorous curriculum their schools offer," Wright said. "Beyond academics, all have demonstrated an interest in and capacity for leadership in a variety of ways."
The Jefferson Scholars Foundation will notify scholarship recipients Monday.
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