The Presidential Scholarship Program

Villanova University seeks to attract academic, civic, and culture leaders who represent diverse intellectual, social, racial, and economic backgrounds, including those from families in which few or no members have attended college.  Successful candidates are awarded this renewable scholarship, which covers tuition, general fee, room, board and books for eight consecutive semesters.  (NOTE: This scholarship only is applicable to the University’s General Fee.  All other fees are the responsibility of the student.  A student’s eligibility for Federal and/or State grant dollars may be applied to these fees.)

Presidential Scholarship Committee

The Presidential Scholarship Committee is composed of the Deans of each of the undergraduate colleges (Arts and Sciences, School of Business, Engineering and Nursing) as well as the Director of the University Honors Program and the Assistant Vice President of Multicultural Affairs who serve as Co-Chairs. College selection committees for each of the colleges are appointed annually by their respective Dean.

Criteria

The Presidential Scholarship is awarded to students who have demonstrated academic achievement and active participation in their school and the broader civic community. Students must be nominated by the chief academic officer of their high school (principal, president, headmaster, guidance counselor) or an official school designee. They can also be nominated by a representative from a home school entity or non-profit educational organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged high school students with the college search process.

The Selection Committee takes a holistic approach in reviewing applicants and looks at multiple criteria including academic achievement, civic engagement, creativity, expertise in a particular field, leadership, and resiliency.  The average high school GPA among Presidential Scholarship finalists for the Class of 2015 was 4.37/4.00 on a weighted scale, the average combined SAT score was 1400/1600, with ACT scores averaging 31/36; however, there are no minimum grade point average or standardized test score requirements for Presidential Scholarship eligibility.  For the 2011-2012 academic year, 28 Presidential Scholarships totaling $1.5 million were offered to first-year students.

Each year, a number of historically underrepresented students who have demonstrated leadership in their ability to make significant contributions to the academic and social cultures within their schools and communities are awarded Presidential Scholarships. Students who are African American/Black, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian/Native Alaskan, Asian/Pacific Islander or are the first in their family to pursue a college education or who come from a low income family (normally Pell Grant eligible), would be considered to be historically underrepresented.

Further Information

For more information regarding the Presidential Scholarship Program, visit the following web sites: Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and The Center for Multicultural Affairs. For more information regarding the Program’s particular commitment to enrolling Underrepresented Students, contact the Center for Multicultural Affairs at 610-519-4075.

• Villanova University Honors Program: The academic home of our Presidential Scholars.
• Office of Financial Assistance.