Presidential Scholars Competition

Each year Northern Michigan University invites academically talented students to apply to its Presidential Scholars Competition. The program is specifically designed for top high school seniors to compete for major scholarships to NMU. One in four qualified students will receive a scholarship through this competition!

Scholarship competition dates for high school seniors graduating in 2009 who will be new freshmen in fall 2009 are:

•  November 9-10, 2008
•  November 16-17, 2008

Follow this link to complete the competition application. As a result of this competition, these scholarships will be awarded:

Presidential/Harden Scholarship

• Number: Top 10% based on scholarship competition results (minimum 15 awarded)
• Amount of award: “full-ride” includes
  • tuition (in-state or out-of-state rates)
  • most required fees
  • room and board (living in the residence halls with the meal plan)
• Term of award: 8 consecutive semesters total, as long as student maintains minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at NMU.

Additional Scholarships

Waldo Scholarships: $2000/yr will be awarded to the next 5% tier based on scholarship competition results.

Kaye Scholarships: $1000/yr will be awarded to the next 5% tier based on scholarship competition results.

Munson Scholarships: $500/yr will be awarded to the next 5% tier based on scholarship competition results.

These scholarships are in addition to the automatic merit scholarships awarded upon admission.

Term of awards: 8 consecutive semesters total, as long as student maintains minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at NMU.

NMU Leadership Scholarships

• Number: 10
• Amount of award: $2000 per year
• Term of award: 8 consecutive semesters total, as long as student maintains minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at NMU
  

Freshman Fellowships

• Number: varies (up to 40)
• Amount of award: $1000 in wages earned doing research with a faculty member during freshman year (2-3 hours average per week)
• Term of award: freshman year

Who can apply to participate?

To apply for the scholarship competition, students must have an ACT composite score of 24 or higher (or an SAT combined score in math and critical reading of 1090 or higher) AND a cumulative (ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades) recomputed* high school GPA of 3.50 or higher. Students who have not taken the ACT/SAT must do so no later than October in order to be eligible for the competition. Students must submit their admissions application (if not already submitted) with their competition application form.

*Recomputed GPA:
The GPA is recomputed on a 4.00 scale by counting grades received in core subjects (English, college prep math, social studies, science, and languages). Grades in courses designated on the transcript as "honors", International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and college dual enrollment receive added weight in the computation.

What does the competition consist of?

Students will receive a separate score for each of the four parts of the competition.

1. Students will take part in group activities with other participants where they will demonstrate their leadership, negotiation and interpersonal skills. These are problem solving exercises and students will be observed and scored by an NMU staff member and a current NMU student.
2. Students will have a one-on-one interview with an NMU faculty or staff member (each participant will be asked the same questions).
3. Students will be assigned points based on their recomputed* high school GPA (ninth through eleventh grades).
   
4. Students will be assigned points based on their ACT/SAT score (NMU will use the student’s highest test score through October testing dates.)

Students participating in the Leadership Scholarships portion of the competition will also complete a brief resume of leadership experiences and complete an essay on one of their leadership activities when applying for the competition.

Apply to participate

We will be offering two different competition dates. You will only need to attend one of the two competition dates but your participation is required in all sessions.

• Sunday evening, November 9, and Monday morning, November 10, 2008
• Sunday evening, November 16, and Monday morning, November 17, 2008

On the scholarship competition application form, you will be asked to select a first choice date. We will review your recomputed GPA and ACT/SAT score for scholarship competition eligibility. Once we determine if you are or are not eligible to compete we will email you at the email address you provided on your scholarship application.

Deadlines

• For the November 9-10, 2008 competition: return the scholarship competition application form and application for admission (if not already submitted) by October 24, 2008. A tentative schedule of events and other info will be mailed October 27, 2008 to those students who are eligible to participate.
• For the November 16-17, 2008 competition: return the scholarship competition application form and application for admission (if not already submitted) by October 31, 2008. A tentative schedule of events and other info will be mailed November 3, 2008 to those students who are eligible to participate.

Questions

If you have any questions about the Presidential Scholars Competition, please call us at 906-227-2650 or 800-682-9797 or e-mail us at glombard@nmu.edu.