Jefferson Scholars Foundation

For aspiring Jefferson Scholars, the selection process can be quite rigorous. Students attending one of the more than 4,000 eligible secondary schools in the US must be nominated by their respective institution. Each secondary school is assigned to one of 53 regional areas across the United States which serve to select finalists in the competition. The regional selection process, executed by committees of U.Va alumni, varies and can include three levels of selection (an application and up to two interviews) to determine any finalists. These individuals are then brought to Charlottesville for the finalist selection weekend. Students not attending an eligible secondary school or students living outside one of the established regions (including international students) are automatically considered for the finalist weekend based on their U.Va application and selected by a separate panel. All finalist expenses for the selection weekend, including travel, are paid for by the foundation.

In 2016, 1825 student nominations were made by secondary schools; 120 of these students were selected for the finalist weekend, and 34 were awarded Jefferson Scholarships.[7]

Usually taking place in March, the finalist weekend is actually an exhaustive four-day experience allowing students the opportunity to exhibit their strengths. While some time is dedicated to informative activities concerning U.Va and a specialized tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, the majority of the weekend is spent on activities where individual merits may be judged. Judges utilize a math & logic exam, a written essay, two sets of faculty moderated panel discussions based on readings provided before the weekend, and a final interview with a panel of judges to select a class. Of the finalists, a class of around 30 students is selected, representing less than 2% of those originally nominated.

The university has seen success in retaining students nominated for (but not awarded) the Jefferson Scholarship. In recent years, approximately nine percent of the incoming first year class were nominees from their respective secondary school.[6]

The class spends three days at an outdoor/high-ropes course in Charlottesville. The event is utilized to encourage team building among the class as they camp, cook meals, and participate in numerous activities including high and low ropes courses.

Class participates in a Leadership and Citizenship Institute. Because leadership and citizenship are two pillars of the scholarship program, the foundation focuses on emphasizing these qualities through a specialized two-week program. Occurring in August before a scholar's second year, the class is housed on grounds at the university and participates in many different activities. These activities vary slightly by year but generally include numerous speakers and workshops, a service project, team building activities, and public speaking exercises. The weekend between weeks is left open for scholars to plan class activities.

The international travel experience occurs during the summer before third year. The international travel program is broken into structured and independent portions. Students are awarded funding for one U.Va developed study abroad experience, as well as an independent international experience in the form of an independent study. In the spring semester of a scholar's second year, each student proposes a project to the foundation for their study. The guidelines for these projects are purposefully flexible and state that each scholar must choose a topic that cannot be fully explored from a computer and requires that they leave the country.