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 2013 who will be new freshmen in fall 2013 are below. Please be aware that there are application deadlines for these competitions.

•  November 4-5, 2012 (registration deadline October 19, 5 p.m. E.S.T.)
•  November 11-12, 2012 (registration deadline October 26, 5 p.m. E.S.T.)

Watch a video with testimonials of three past winners.

As a result of this competition, the following scholarships will be awarded:

Harden Scholarships

• 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 (University fee, student activity fee, one-time student athletic event fee and MacBook Pro fee for Art and Design majors)
  • 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

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 be admitted to NMU prior to the competition deadlines, so please plan accordingly.

• admissions application
• competition application

*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.

View the tentative schedule of events.
 

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 4, and Monday morning, November 5, 2012

            * Sunday evening, November 11, and Monday morning, November 12, 2012

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 4-5, 2012 competition: submit the scholarship competition application form by October 19, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. e.s.t.  A tentative schedule of events and other information will be mailed October 22, 2012 to those students who are eligible to participate. 

*For the November 11-12, 2012 competition: submit the scholarship competition application form by October 26, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. e.s.t.  A tentative schedule of events and other information will be mailed October 29, 2012 to those students who are eligible to participate.

 NOTE:  students must be admitted to NMU by the scholarship registration deadline they have registered for.  Please remember that it may take as long as 2-3 weeks to process the admissions application and materials so plan accordingly.
 

Questions

If you have any questions about the Presidential Scholars Competition please call the Admissions Office at 906-227-2650 or email the program coordinator at glombard@nmu.edu.