Robertson Scholars Leadership Program

Awarded By:

Robertson Scholars Program

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Number of awards vary each year. About 32 awards offered last year

Description: This award is available for graduating high school seniors who are planning to attend Duke University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Applicants must enroll full time, and be high-achieving, well-rounded students. Scholars also have access to generous funding for two semesters of study abroad.

Application requirements for the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program are:

• Recommendation letters (2)
• Essays (2)
• Admissions
• Responses

Additional Information: The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program is one of the most generous and visionary merit scholarship programs in American higher education. This program transforms students through their immersion in the intellectual and social life of two dynamic universities and their exposure to new and challenging environments. Robertson Scholars are expected to participate in the various elements of the program, including but not limited to the first-year and junior retreats, the cross-campus course requirement and semester switch, and the first two summer enrichment programs. Students are chosen to participate in this program based on their demonstrated ability to make the most of opportunities that are presented to them and to create possibilities where none may have previously existed. As scholars, they are expected to continue making the most of the options provided by the program and by the two universities with which they are affiliated. All scholars are required to maintain a normal course load each semester (four semester courses or their equivalent at Duke; a minimum of 12 and normally 15 hours at UNC-Chapel Hill). Scholars are expected to complete all graduation requirements. Continuation in the program depends on the maintenance of a 2.8 grade point average at the end of the freshmen year, and a 3.0 average each succeeding year. A student who fails to achieve the required average will be put "on review" and each year thereafter the student must obtain a 3.0 average in order to maintain the Robertson Scholarship.

Award Amount: The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program provides full tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees for each scholar for all four years of undergraduate study if the student maintains eligibility criteria. Scholars receive a laptop and have access to three summers of generous funding, as well as support for up to two semesters of study abroad.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $50,000.