For Counselors

School administrators play a vital role in the Jefferson Scholars selection process each year, and the Jefferson Scholars Foundation is indebted to the many counselors and other teachers and school officials who will participate this year by nominating exceptional young people to the competition.

In addition, please note that our office is available to assist you in any way that we can throughout this process.  We answer the phone between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM Eastern Time Monday-Friday (434) 243-9029, and can also be easily reached via e-mail: jeffsch@virginia.edu.  We strive to provide a quick response to any questions that you may have and make the process as transparent and straightforward for you as possible.

Nomination and Selection Criteria:

• No one may apply for a Jefferson Scholarship. Instead, schools are invited to nominate one student based on the criteria
• The sole criteria for selection are excellence in the Jeffersonian ideals of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship
• Neither financial need nor prior interest in the University of Virginia should factor in to your decision of who to nominate from your school
• The nomination process is entirely separate from the admissions process. The student you nominate is not required to apply to U.Va. by our November 1 deadline, but we strongly encourage them to submit an application to the University by their January 1 deadline
• Nominated students may not apply to a binding early decision commitment at another University or College
• Once nominated, a student is under no obligation to accept a Jefferson Scholarship should he/she be offered one at the end of the competition process.  By accepting the school’s nomination, he/she is only agreeing to participate in the competition

Scholarship Components:

• In 2011-12, Jefferson Scholars from the Commonwealth of Virginia will receive $24,104 (renewable each year) and out-of-state Jefferson Scholars will receive a stipend, also annually renewable, of $49,098.
• Intended to cover the entire cost of attendance for four years at the University of Virginia, this stipend includes tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, board, and personal expenses
• The scholarship also includes an extensive enrichment program which supports and nurtures these students throughout their four years at U.Va., as well as access to a community of other Scholars, Graduate Fellows, staff, and alumni

Notes Regarding Nomination Process:

• Our entire nomination process can be completed on-line by logging into our website
• Schools are asked to nominate one student each year, but may nominate an additional, second candidate if they have two who are truly exceptional and cannot distinguish between the two
• Detailed instructions are mailed to schools each year in September to help you navigate through the steps on the site – follow the link below to log in and view instructions
• Counselors/school officials must nominate their student and enter academic information, etc., for them
• The student who has been nominated may work on his/her nomination form on-line simultaneously from any computer
• Besides the official school endorsement, one additional letter of recommendation may be submitted in support of each nominee
• Transcripts, school profiles and letters of recommendation can be uploaded directly through our website
• If you are not able to upload these forms due to technological limitations, you can mail them to us:
  • P.O. Box 400891, Charlottesville, Virginia  22904-4891
  • 112 Clarke Court, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 (physical address for Federal Express)
• Once the counselor/school official and the student are both done with their sections of the nomination form, the form must be officially “submitted” electronically by the counselor/school official and a confirmation e-mail will be generated
• If there are updates on test scores after the submission of the Nomination Form, they can be submitted by the school in writing or via e-mail. This process has been simplified, as counselors may log into the Jefferson Scholars website and use the “Submit Nomination Update” button on the welcome page

Next Steps:

• Regional selection committees will contact nominees directly in December or early January and inform the student whether or not they have been granted a regional interview. Most regional interviews occur in January, and it is possible the nominee may not hear anything until then
• Nominees from Designated Schools and International locations will be notified in January and may be offered an interview, depending on their location
• Regional selection interviews are typically performed by a committee comprised of alumni and friends of the University of Virginia, usually in an office conference room or private home. The number of interviewers varies, but is usually between four and seven. Their intent is to be cordial yet challenging. Questions are of the committee’s own design; there is no scripted interview format. Interviews will typically last about 20 minutes
• All finalists will be selected by early February and informed of all pertinent details regarding our Selection Weekend in March at that time

Counselors, log in with your school access information to manage nominations.