The Jefferson Scholarship is a merit scholarship that provides four years of fully funded study at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

in the United States. The scholarship covers tuition and room and board, and also provides money for summer travel, independent research, and study abroad. Application to the scholarship is by invitation only. Around 30 "Scholars" are selected annually from some 6,000 schools who may each nominate one student. Scholars have included 24

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

and

Marshall Scholars The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is considered among the most prestigious scholarsh ...

Olympians Olympian or Olympians may refer to: Religion * Twelve Olympians, the principal gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion * Olympian spirits, spirits mentioned in books of ceremonial magic Fiction * ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'', fiction ...

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, and others.

History

In 1981, the first Jefferson Scholarship was endowed and named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and a benefactor of the University of Virginia. The program has grown since with the support of benefactors and endowments. As of 2023, the endowment was $820.9 million and supported 139 scholars. Out-of-state recipients receive about $347,000, as of 2024.

Selection criteria

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation aims to identify, attract, and nurture "individuals of extraordinary intellectual range and depth who possess the highest concomitant qualities of: Leadership, Scholarship, and Citizenship". Scholars are nominated as the most accomplished student at their respective school, and then compete through a series of interview rounds from local to regional, national and the finals, which are held in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. There are currently 70 nominating regions, with over 6,000 schools eligible to nominate a student, and a pool of students exceeding 800,000. In 2020, over 2,100 high schools nominated students; 34 were selected, or less than 2% of the nominees.

Enrichment programmes

Institute for Leadership & Citizenship

The Leadership and Citizenship Institute is a two-week seminar for all Scholars, taking place at the end of their freshman year. It is held on the grounds of the University of Virginia, and consists of workshops, group discussions and personal exploration, and is designed to foster and develop the characteristics of leadership and citizenship in scholars.

Travel

Scholars are encouraged to partake in foreign travel and study after their sophomore year, and invited to undertake a self-designed exploration into a topic of personal interest. Many also take the opportunity to study at one of the university's partners for a semester.

Exploratory Fund

The Exploratory Fund, as an initiative of the Foundation, provides seed funding for Scholars' projects and concepts. Developed to support the innovation of Scholars, the Foundation encourages Scholars to build projects that serve societal and cultural development. New commercial or philanthropic enterprises within or outside the university can also apply for funding consideration.

Notable alumni

Maurie McInnis Maurie Dee McInnis (born January 11, 1966) is an American art historian, currently serving as the 24th president of Yale University since July 2024. She previously served as the sixth president of Stony Brook University from 2020 to 2024. McIn ...

, 24th president of

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, author and writer for

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* Melissa Murray, legal commentator and professor at

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, Olympic rower * Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. Circuit Judge of the

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* Andrew Oldham, U.S. Circuit Judge of the

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* Jasmine H. Yoon, U.S. District Judge of the

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* Peter D. Leary, former

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for the Middle District of Georgia * M. Lisa Manning, American physicist and professor of physics at

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, American sociologist * Payvand Ahdout, law professor at

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...

* Emma Camp, journalist at ''

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References

1
"Fully Funded Scholarships in USA for African 2023"
www.u''skill''.com. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023. # "Fully Funded Scholarships in USA for African 2023". ''Uskill''. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023. {{Authority control Scholarships in the United States University of Virginia Thomas Jefferson