Office of the Registrar

President's Scholar Program

You are here

  1. Home
    2. »
  2. Current Students
    3. »
  3. President's Scholar Program

The President’s Scholars Program has been discontinued in order to provide additional funding for other financial aid and scholarship opportunities for Lehigh students. Students who matriculated to Lehigh through January 2019 remain eligible for the program. 

The President’s Scholar Program recognizes outstanding academic achievement by undergraduate students by providing a fifth year (i.e., a 9th and 10th terms) of study free of tuition. This benefit is intended to give students an opportunity to (1) pursue a second undergraduate degree, (2) pursue a graduate degree, or (3) undertake an advanced project of a scholarly or creative nature (e.g., a thesis, a portfolio of artwork, a design project, a field or laboratory research project) that does not lead to a degree.

General provisions

  1. Students must demonstrate eligibility for the second undergraduate degree, have an acceptance to a graduate degree program, or develop an agreement with a faculty mentor to supervise an advanced project as part of their application for the Scholarship.

  2. The Scholarship covers tuition only.

  3. The year of free tuition includes one summer and two regular academic–year terms and begins in the term immediately following the term in which the student completes requirements for the first undergraduate degree (e.g., if a student graduates in May, the year of free tuition includes the summer, fall, and spring terms immediately following graduation; if a student graduates in September the year of free tuition includes the fall, spring, and summer terms immediately following graduation). No portion of the Scholarship may be deferred.

  4. Study abroad programs, including Lehigh Abroad programs, are not included.

  5. If students meet course eligibility requirements, President's Scholars are permitted to register for Distance Education courses ("D" sections) offered by the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business & Economics and Engineering & Applied Science through the Office of Distance Education with the understanding that although the course tuition is covered, there is a non-tuition fee of $650 per course that is not covered by the President's Scholar award. This fee will be charged to the student's account and must be paid in full in accordance with the Bursar's Office billing and payment dates. Interested students may contact the Office of Distance Education for more information.

  6. Students must be continuously enrolled at Lehigh to be eligible for the President’s Scholarship. Exceptions are allowed for up to a one–year leave of absence. Approved study abroad counts as continuous enrollment.

  7. None of the criteria for eligibility and selection are subject to petition.

Criteria for eligibility and selection

  1. An overall GPA in Lehigh University graded coursework of at least a 3.75 at the time of application for the Scholarship. If the application is approved, the student must also have an overall GPA of 3.75 at the beginning of the Scholarship year.

  2. To uphold the “fifth–year free” nature of the program and reflect Lehigh’s principal identity as a four–year residential institution, students must continue into the fourth college year (whether they begin at Lehigh or transfer to Lehigh) and complete AT LEAST seven or eight regular, full-time academic–year terms before beginning the scholarship year.

  3. Substantial completion of baccalaureate degree requirements.

    1. Students who begin as first–year students at Lehigh must complete at least 92 credits of graded work at Lehigh before applying for the President’s Scholarship.

      1. In accord with the “fifth–year free” nature of the program, the minimum 92 credits must be earned in regular academic–year terms (fall or spring) at Lehigh.

      2. Students may earn additional credits in Lehigh summer sessions, but those credits cannot count toward the 92–credit minimum required for application.

      3. Credits earned in pass/fail courses cannot count toward the 92–credit minimum.

      4. Credits earned in LVAIC cross–registration with a regular grade may be counted.

      5. Up to 16 credits of AP (or IB, etc.) high school coursework credited to the Lehigh transcript may be included in the 92 credits.

      6. Up to 16 credits of approved study abroad coursework with a minimum host institution grade of B– may be included in the 92–credit count.

    2. Transfer students may be eligible for the President’s Scholarship, but the Scholarship is not generally available to students who transfer later than their third college term. Transfer students must complete at least 60 credits of graded work at Lehigh before applying for the President’s Scholarship.

      1. Students must be enrolled for six regular academic–year terms before beginning the Scholarship year.

      2. The 60 credits required for the application must be earned in four regular academic–year terms (fall or spring) at Lehigh.

      3. Students may earn additional credits in Lehigh summer sessions, but those credits cannot count toward the 60–credit minimum required for application.

      4. Credits earned in pass/fail courses cannot count toward the 60–credit minimum.

      5. Credits earned in LVAIC cross–registration with a regular grade may be counted.

      6. No other non–Lehigh credits (including AP, IB, etc.) may be counted in the 60 credits, and there is no exception for Study Abroad.

    3. Students must complete the requirements for a first undergraduate degree before beginning the President’s Scholarship. An exception may be made for students in an approved five–year dual–degree program in which the requirements for both degrees will be completed in the fifth year. To be eligible for this exception, the student must receive approval from the Committee on Standing of Students (SOS) for the dual–degree course of study prior to the completion of 92 total credits or the end of the sixth term, whichever comes first.  Dual degree students must have completed 8 full-time terms in order to be eligible to begin using the scholarship.

  4. Application demonstrating academic purpose for the year of study.

    1. An application to use the Scholarship while completing a second undergraduate degree must include the approved declaration of the second degree (petition approved by SOS).

    2. An application to use the Scholarship while pursuing a graduate degree.

    3. An application to use the Scholarship while undertaking an advanced project of a scholarly or creative nature (e.g., a thesis, a portfolio of artwork, a design project, a field or laboratory research project) must include a proposal approved by a faculty member who will serve as the student’s supervisor for the project. The proposal must include a proposed roster of courses to support or complement the project. The appropriate Associate Dean must also approve the project.

The University may approve suitable applications for the Scholarship in cases of second–degree completion or graduate–degree programs.