Echols Scholars Program Admissions

Admissions to the Echols Scholar Program

There is no special application form or process for the Echols Scholars Program.  All applicants to the College of Arts and Science's first-year class are automatically reviewed for Echols privileges, and thus the selection is highly democratic.  All decisions regarding selection are made exclusively by the University's Office of Admission and not by the Echols Director or Faculty Advisers. All questions regarding the Echols selection process should be directed to the Office of Admission at (434) 982-3200.   Students interested in the Echols Program should present all supporting materials they wish the Admissions Committee to review, at the time of their application.

As a general rule the Admissions office will notify successful candidates of their Echols selection around the time that admissions offers are made in the spring semester. Usually this falls between March 31 and April 15.  Early-decision candidates selected earlier in the year will be notified as to their Echols status at the same time as all other students. While the early decision option in no way affects whether a student will receive Echols or not, the notification process will lag significantly behind the admission offer and students choosing this option should be aware of this.

Admissions Statistics

The Admissions office does not have a fixed "target" of Echols offers. Each Echols class contains 200-225 students, but the precise number fluctuates annually. In 2003 the incoming class contained 213 students, and roughly 37% of students who received an offer to attend the University as an Echols Scholar accepted the privilege. We compete against Ivy League universities and the top-tier liberal arts colleges, and many Echols Scholars have told us that the Program led them to choose the University of Virginia over other competitive schools because of its unique academic structure.

Echols "Day on the Lawn"

Students selected to join the Echols Scholars Program, along with their parents, will be invited to a "Day on the Lawn" event in mid-April. The exact structure and date of this event is subject to annual change, but the idea remains constant: providing a forum for student and faculty discussion and information on the Echols Scholars Program intended to assist students in making an informed choice in considering the University’s offer of admission.

Echols "Summer Orientation"

The University's Office of Orientation hosts information sessions for incoming students from June through August of each year.  Once students accept the University's offer of admission they will receive materials regarding the Orientation process.  Sessions are held on a Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday schedule.  The purpose is to provide students with as much information and material as possible and pre-register them for classes before they arrive to start the semester at the end of August.

The Orientation office usually holds 2 or 3 sessions exclusively for Echols Scholars.  Ideally, incoming Echols Scholars should attend one of these sessions, but if their schedules do not permit it, they can attend one of the other meetings.  At the Echols events, students will receive advice from the Echols Director and Faculty Advisers on course selection, meet a number of their fellow first-years, and will have an opportunity to talk informally with Echols Scholars serving as Orientation Leaders.  Questions regarding Orientation should be directed to .

Additionally, over the summer students will receive mailings and emails from the College of Arts and Sciences for purposes of academic advising.  Echols Scholars will complete an on-line information form that is used to assign them an adviser in their stated areas of interest.  It is crucial that this form be completed in a timely manner, as specialized Echols first-year advising is contingent upon its prompt and accurate submission.  Echols Scholars will also receive a welcome mailing and/or email from our Echols Office providing helpful information for students.

Scholarships

Regrettably the Echols Scholars Program cannot offer financial scholarships to incoming students.  We offer several scholarships to enrolled students but the Program is intended to offer academic, rather than financial, privileges.   The University's Jefferson Scholars Foundation does offer merit scholarships to incoming students but has a separate selection process.  Information on the Jefferson Scholars program can be found at www.jeffersonscholars.org.

Prospective Student Visits

The Echols Scholars Program welcome visits from prospective students at all times. The Director and most Faculty Advisers hold regular office hours during the academic year and the Director is usually in the office for much of the summer. We welcome the opportunity to speak with you further about the program, but we do not conduct interviews and will not use personal contact as a factor in the Echols selection process. If you plan to visit the University and have questions about the Program that our information does not address, please contact Sherry Bullock at (434) 924-3350 or via . M Bulllock can also schedule an appointment for you with the Director.

The First-Year Application Process

The Echols Scholars Program allows enrolled first-year students to petition for Echols status during the spring semester. High-school records may not have commended them for an initial acceptance but first-years who have achieved distinction in their first semester at the University can apply to the Echols Scholars Program. As it is the Program’s goal to include as many talented students as possible, we annually admit several dozen first-years into our ranks.

The first-year admissions process is managed within the Echols Office. All first-year students with a GPA of at least 3.6, especially in challenging classes, are invited to apply. They submit a transcript and several essays explaining their intellectual interests no later than April 1. The Echols Director and Echols faculty advisors review the applications and make their decisions in May, pending a review of second-semester grades. Students will learn of their acceptance via letter in late May or early June. Application materials will be available in Garrett Hall by early February.

As with the initial selection there is no fixed number of first-year acceptances. In 2004 we received 137 applications and admitted 72 students.

Students invited to join the Program at the end of their first year are given the same privileges as students selected out of secondary school. The main difference is that students selected at the end of the first year will not have had the benefit of living with Echols Scholars in Webb and Maupin dorms.