There are a great many college scholarships out there; a university will get a major donation, and that will set up a generous scholarship fund for that university specifically. There are also some generous scholarships which allow students to attend many universities, though they are a bit selective; Questbridge and Posse Scholars are the best examples. Then there’s the Robertson Scholars Program, which falls somewhere in the middle. is a prestigious and generous scholarship program that offers scholarships to Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and nowhere else. In this article, we’re going to explain how this program works, how you can apply to it, and whether doing so is right for you. Let’s jump right in!
Understanding the Robertson Scholars Program
The goal of the program is to find and support future leaders. It is funded by community members and businesses in North Carolina, and so focuses its scholarship on the two best universities which are close to it; Duke and UNC Chapel Hill. The scholarship program was founded in 2000 by Julian Robertson, from whom it takes its name.
The program is operated in partnership with both UNC Chapel Hill and Duke, and students in the program receive a number of special privileges. Most notably, they are allowed to take courses at and major in both schools, even if they were admitted to one or the other. Thus a student can be admitted to UNC Chapel Hill and have their primary major there, but add a secondary major at Duke, so long as they are part fo the Robertson program.
Sophomores in the program switch campuses; instead moving to the school they are not a member of, to experience courses and classwork there for a semester, to expand their worldview. There is an express bus provided by the program for participants which links the campuses.
Robertson Scholars provides a full scholarship to whichever of the two schools you are admitted to. They offer a number of additional benefits to awardees as well. There is a community of scholars on campus; participants are invited to dinners with faculty, leadership seminars, retreats, and special colloquia. There are grant opportunities to allow students to pursue summer programs or research, and seniors in the program get to network with alumni, to aid them on the next step of their career journey.
How to Apply to the Robertson Scholars Program
Both high school students and current students at Duke or UNC can apply for this program. We will focus on the application for high school students in this article. Note that the application is separate from your application to Duke and/or UNC; you must apply to both to be considered for the scholarship.
The program is associated with the schools, but has its own application, criteria, and selection process. The application must be done , and follows this timeline:
- August 15: Applications open
- October 15: Early Notification Deadline
- November 15: Regular Notification Deadline
- December-February: Group Activity
- February: Semi-Finalist Interviews
- March: Finalist Interviews
- March 31-April 3: Recipient campus visits
This is a rather involved application, so we will go through each aspect of it in detail. First, however, you should be sure you are eligible for the program. Students from any country and of any nationality may apply for the program. The scholarship has the following eligibility criteria:Ìý
- You must apply for admission to Duke and/or UNC Chapel Hill in the same year and admissions cycle as you apply for the program; you may apply for either the early or the regular decision deadline
- International students must be able to attain a visa to study in the US
- Students who are on a gap year who have already been admitted may not apply until they matriculate; then they may apply using the process for current students at either school
The Roberson Scholars Online Application
The application has several core pieces. First is demographic information. While this is a fully merit-based scholarship, they do still need to know who you are and how to contact you. This is easy enough to enter; it will be redundant with what you did for the Common App in large part. Note that at this stage, they will only ask for your self-reported GPA. They will ask for your full transcripts later in the process, they do not ask for standardized test scores.
The application asks for two letters of recommendation from teachers. You can ask the same teachers who are writing your letters of recommendation for colleges. While the Robertson Scholars program will gain access to your Common App later in the admission process, they won’t see it at this stage. Your initial application should therefore be as impressive and well-crafted as possible, to help you stand out in the field.
There are several essays required as part of this initial application. The exact prompts change every year, but there are similar questions and topics they often return to, even if the wording changes. These are:
- A personal statement where you describe your situation and goals, and how the scholarship program would help you accomplish them
- A description of your leadership, with examples of how you’ve shown these skills
- A description of your commitment to your community, and how you have been shaped by it and given back to it
When answering these essays, you want to fully answer the question, and speak to your past experiences, highlighting your most impressive achievements. This application is all the information they have about you; they are looking for students with significant leadership potential, and look to your past experiences to see your potential here.Ìý
You always want to be as specific as possible in these essays. What you did and why you did it; what you learned, the magnitude of impact you had. These details are important to your story; you don’t want to get bogged down in them, but you need to include enough of them for those reading and reviewing it to understand who you are.
Group Activity
This is the first of three rounds of interviews, and is a group interview conducted virtually for a group of students with committee members for the Robertson Program. The goal of this is to get to know you better, and to see if your values are a good match for the program, and if you match the way you present yourself in your application. This is the first stage of winnowing; it is less in-depth yet, but mostly a confirmation step, to ensure that the person who impressed them on paper continues to impress them when they meet you.
Semi-Finalist Interviews
At this stage, the panel will have received and reviewed your application to Duke or UNC, along with your application to the program. The goal here is to better understand you as a person, and to make sure your values align with what the program is looking for in students. These are virtual interviews, structured like a casual conversation. They don’t want to overwhelm you, but do wish to understand you.
Be prepared to speak about aspects of your application, how the Robertson Program will support your goals, and how you will make use of the resources it provides. Be ready to talk about past experiences you’ve had with leadership, and to show off your values. They are looking for passionate and dedicated leaders, and are looking for passion and curiosity in these interviews.
Finalist Interviews
These work much the same as finalist ones, and serve a similar purpose. There are a limited number of scholarships available each year, and they want to fully evaluate and understand each applicant. They are not looking for reasons to exclude you, but to find the candidates which best fit with the ethos and mission of the scholarship program. These can be stressful, but you should try to be relaxed and personable for these interviews, to show off the best side of yourself.
Should You Apply for the Robertson Scholarship Program?
While this is not a perfect fit for all students, if you are looking to apply to Duke or UNC Chapel Hill, even if they are not your top choice schools, then this can be a good scholarship to look at. Unlike many merit scholarships, your grades are less important than your character, values, and potential for leadership. They do still care about grades, but this scholarship is a great opportunity for students who may have difficulty competing for purely academic ones.
If you have significant past experiences with leadership, and have been a dedicated leader of and contributor to your community, then you are exactly the kind of person this scholarship is geared towards. The application is rather involved, more so than for many other scholarships, but for the amount of funding and resources the program offers, that is entirely reasonable.
We do advise all of our students who are looking to apply to Duke or UNC Chapel Hill to consider this scholarship. Not all of them apply for it, but it is always worth looking at if these schools are on your list. If you match some or all of the criteria they look for, then we definitely encourage you to apply.
Final Thoughts
College is very expensive, so programs offering full ride scholarships (and a bunch of extras!) are quite worth looking into. While it is quite competitive, more so than either school is for admissions, plenty of students join and benefit from the Robertson Scholars program each year. We hope that this article has helped you better understand this scholarship program, and whether or not it is something you may want to avail yourself of.
If you are looking for help finding scholarships particular to the colleges you are applying to, or want guidance on navigating the complex college application process, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. College applications are hard, but our mentors excel in making the complex minutiae they require feasible. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.
