The Presidential Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship program available to new beginning freshmen.
The Presidential Scholars Program is designed to offer participants the advantages of a small liberal arts college in the framework of an outstanding multipurpose university. It is international in character, requiring study abroad and foreign language study. It also has a public service component, which enables students to earn academic credit for community service, bringing them into contact with local professionals, depending on student interest and career goals.
Read about current Presidential Scholars in our PS Spotlights.
The Presidential Scholarship is an $8,000 annual award, renewable for up to eight semesters, contingent on continued attainment of a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. Finalists in National Merit and National Achievement Programs who enroll as Presidential Scholars and list Illinois State as their first-choice school receive an additional $2,000 for one year.
Once students are accepted to the University and have submitted a completed scholarship application, they will be considered for both the Presidential Scholarship and the Honors Program.
Presidential Scholarship winners are automatically admitted to the Presidential Scholars Program, an exclusive academic program combining some of the best courses in the University with a student-selected course of study, involving Honors Program advisors and selected professors around the University. Presidential Scholars also participate in the Honors Program.
The Presidential Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship program that Illinois State offers and is only available to new beginning freshmen.
Presidential Scholarships are scholarships awarded to outstanding students based on factors without regard to financial need, including:
Please contact the Office of Admissions to learn more about the application process, toll free at (800) 366-2478.
Recent Presidential Scholars have ranked in the upper 4 percent of their high school classes and have average ACT composite scores in the lower 30s and higher.