U.S. Presidential Scholars Program: How Candidates Are Chosen and What It Means for Admissions
By Rona Aydin
What Is the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program?
It is a program of the U.S. Department of Education that recognizes and honors distinguished graduating high school seniors. The Department describes it as one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
A 1964 executive order of the President established the program. In 1979 the program expanded to students with exceptional talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts, and in 2015 to students in career and technical education. A group of private citizens appointed by the President, the Commission on Presidential Scholars, makes the final selection.
How Many Students Become Presidential Scholars Each Year?
Up to 161. Three components share the total.
| Component | Scholars named | How candidates enter |
|---|---|---|
| General | 121: one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and families of U.S. citizens living abroad, plus up to 15 at large | SAT or ACT scores, or nomination by a Chief State School Officer or a partner recognition organization |
| Arts | Up to 20 | Nomination by the state’s Chief State School Officer |
| Career and technical education | Up to 20 | Nomination by the state’s Chief State School Officer |
The structure means that a student competes mainly inside the state. Two scholars come from each state in the general component whatever its size, so the competition is hardest in states with many high scorers.
How Does the Department Choose Candidates?
The Department chooses most candidates in the general component by test score, with no action from the student. The Department compares each student’s SAT scores in Reading and Writing and Math with the student’s ACT scores in English, Reading, and Math, and it keeps the highest score from a single test administration. In each state, it identifies the top 20 male and top 20 female examinees, and it adds students in the case of ties. This method identifies approximately 4,000 candidates each year.
For the 2026 program, the Department counted tests taken from August 2022 through October 2025. For a student in that class, the window closed in the fall of senior year.
There is a second route. Each Chief State School Officer may nominate ten male and ten female candidates on the basis of outstanding scholarship, and the program may also accept nominations from partner recognition organizations.
Can a Student Apply to the Presidential Scholars Program?
No. The Department states that application is by invitation only, and that students may not apply individually or seek a nomination outside the process it describes.
Eligibility has three parts in the general component. A student must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident by the application deadline, must graduate or receive a diploma between January and August of the program year, and must have scored exceptionally well on the SAT or ACT or have received a nomination. The Department may miss a student who asked College Board or ACT not to release scores to outside entities, so it gives a telephone number for that case.
What Does the Selection Process Look Like?
Candidates who accept the invitation submit essays, self-assessments, secondary school reports, and transcripts. Reviewers evaluate them on academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service, and the essay.
| Stage | Number | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Candidates, general component | Approximately 4,000 | Identified from test scores and nominations |
| Semifinalists, general component | Approximately 500, with 6 to 20 from each state | An independent national committee of educators |
| Semifinalists, arts and career and technical education | 60 in each component | The same committee |
| Scholars | Up to 161 | The Commission on Presidential Scholars |
In the general component, the Commission names 121 scholars from approximately 4,000 candidates, which is about 3% by Oriel Admissions calculation. For the 2026 program, application materials were due on March 12, 2026. The Department says semifinalists are notified in the spring and scholars in the summer.
Do Presidential Scholars Receive Money?
No. The Department answers the question directly: the program is a recognition program. Each student the Commission chooses receives a Presidential medallion.
The lack of money makes this honor different from the major merit scholarships a strong student may also pursue. Our merit aid finder lists awards that pay, and our guide to the National Merit Scholarship covers the other national program that begins with a test score.
Does the Presidential Scholars Program Help With College Admissions?
For most students it comes too late to help. The Department identifies candidates during senior year, the application is due in March, and the Commission names scholars after colleges have made their decisions.
In the experience of Oriel Admissions, the honor serves as confirmation. A student who becomes a candidate already has a test score at or near the top of the scale, and a student who becomes a scholar usually has the grades, activities, and writing that selective colleges admit. Colleges have judged that record on its own terms before the medallion arrives.
Candidate status has one practical use. A senior who becomes a candidate in the winter can mention it in an update to colleges that have not yet decided. Our guide to the Common App honors section explains how admissions readers weigh honors.
What Should a Sophomore or Junior Do About It?
Nothing separate. The program has no application to prepare for in advance, and the same work serves both the program and college admission. The one score-based recognition that does need action from the student is the College Board National Recognition Program, which a sophomore or junior must claim on BigFuture.
Two points are worth knowing. The Department uses a single test administration and not a combination of sittings, so one strong sitting counts for more here than a superscore. And the testing window runs into the fall of senior year, so a score earned then can still count. Oriel Admissions advises planning the SAT or ACT for college admission and treating candidate status as a possible result. Our SAT and ACT preparation timeline sets out when to test.
For Ivy League admission, the academic standard is the same one the program rewards: nearly all As in the hardest classes the school offers.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Presidential Scholars Program
It is a federal recognition program for graduating high school seniors, established in 1964. The program names up to 161 students each year.
No. Application is by invitation only, and students may not apply individually.
The Department of Education does not list a score. In each state the Department identifies the top 20 male and top 20 female examinees, so the score a student needs is very high.
No. The Department of Education describes it as a recognition program. Scholars receive a Presidential medallion.
The general component identifies approximately 4,000 candidates. Approximately 500 become semifinalists and 121 become scholars.
No. The Department of Education uses the highest score from a single test administration.
Rarely. Oriel Admissions notes that the Commission names scholars after admission decisions, so the honor recognizes a record that colleges have already judged.
For the 2026 program, tests taken from August 2022 through October 2025 counted. That window ended in the fall of senior year.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education program home page, Eligibility page, U.S. Department of Education, Selection process page, U.S. Department of Education, Frequently asked questions, U.S. Department of Education, About the program, U.S. Department of Education
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