Class of 2010 Announced
33 New Jefferson Scholars to Enter the University in August

May 31, 2006 | The Jefferson Scholars Foundation is pleased to announce the Jefferson Scholars Class of 2010. The group of 33, which includes students from fifteen different states and the District of Columbia, will enter the University of Virginia in August.

The merit-based Jefferson Scholars program provides stipends to cover the complete cost of attending the University, including tuition, room and board, books and other University-related expenses.

The sole criteria for selection are demonstrated excellence and exceptional potential in the areas of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. The 33 Jefferson Scholarship winners were named after a rigorous selection process that began with nearly 900 candidates from across the country as well as international nominees. The list was pared to 96 finalists who participated in the 26th annual Jefferson Scholars Selection Weekend in March, from which the 33 recipients emerged.

The recipients are a diverse group of varsity athletes, team captains, student government officers, musicians, and thespians. One is the national winner of the Wendy's High School Heisman Award for boys, another is a regional president of the Federation of Temple Youth, and a third is a ropes course instructor who works with autistic youth. Several have done independent science research, with one being published in the Journal of Molecular Structure. Over half are either valedictorian or salutatorian of their high school classes. The average combined SAT score for the incoming class of Jefferson Scholars is 2246; this average includes 26 perfect scores of 800 on at least one portion of the exam.

The Class of 2010 includes also the first Jefferson Scholarship recipient to emerge from the at-large review of all applicants to the University's School of Architecture. This review is conducted by the Office of Admission, along with a similar review of the applicants to the School of Nursing.

"This year the quality of the nominees was again truly exceptional, for which we offer our gratitude to the hundreds of school counselors who nominate these outstanding young people," said James H. Wright, president of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. "Those selected are all devoted to the pursuit of excellence as reflected in their rich diversity of interests and backgrounds, and have the potential to benefit the University in a most substantial way.

"Likewise we offer thanks to the nearly 700 alumni volunteers across the country who help select the candidates. Time and again we hear from nominees that the passion for the University of Virginia shown by these volunteers makes a very positive impression about the University, regardless of the final results of the competition," Wright added.

In fact, dating back to the beginning of the Jefferson Scholars program in 1980, over 5,500 Jefferson Scholarship nominees elected to attend the University without having won the Jefferson Scholarship. Over the last five years, Jefferson Scholarship nominees have comprised approximately nine percent of each incoming class.

Financed entirely with private funds, Jefferson Scholarships are designed to help the University attract the most promising student leaders in the country. Among the students selected in prior years are four who subsequently were named Rhodes Scholars.

Students may not apply to become Jefferson Scholars, but rather must either be nominated by their schools or identified through the admissions process. More than 2400 schools are eligible to nominate scholarship candidates, including every secondary school in Virginia.

The Jefferson Scholars Class of 2010: