Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholarship: Requirements and Opportunities
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholarship offers a significant opportunity for outstanding high school seniors who embody the values of leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship. This scholarship program seeks to identify and support young leaders who, like President Reagan, aspire to make a positive impact on their communities and the nation.
Scholarship Overview
The GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program provides college scholarships of up to $40,000 to high school seniors across the nation. Each year, the Program selects numerous recipients to receive a $10,000 scholarship renewable for up to an additional three years - up to $40,000 total per recipient. These awards are designed to support undergraduate study and can be used for various education-related expenses, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, and board.
Since 2000, the program has supported roughly 575 student leaders nationwide, awarding nearly $9.5 million in college scholarships. This substantial investment highlights the program's commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders.
Eligibility and Application Requirements
The GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program looks for candidates who demonstrate:
- Leadership: Scholars exemplify President Reagan’s vision to lead and serve, both inside and outside the classroom. They actively participate in extracurricular activities and seek leadership roles to make a positive difference in their school, community, and workplace.
- Drive: Scholars exhibit optimism, faith, and determination in pursuing their goals. They possess the ambition and courage to turn their dreams into reality, approaching challenges with persistence and a belief that "it can be done."
- Integrity: Scholars are grounded in their principles, values, and ethics. They demonstrate genuine integrity and earn the respect of their peers through dependability and hope for a brighter future.
- Citizenship: Scholars are driven by civic commitment and actively engage in their communities to foster positive change. They value freedom and equality, demonstrating accountability, tolerance, and a belief in human potential.
The application process requires applicants to provide basic information about themselves, their parents/guardians, their high school, their top college choice, and their financial situation. It is important to note that while financial information is considered, applicants are primarily evaluated based on merit.
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How to Make Your Application Stand Out
To increase your chances of becoming a GE-Reagan Foundation Scholar, consider the following tips:
- Showcase Your Leadership, Drive, Integrity, and Citizenship: Provide specific examples of how you embody these values in your daily life. Highlight your achievements, challenges you have overcome, and the positive impact you have made on your community.
- Craft a Compelling Essay: Use your essay to tell your unique story and demonstrate your passion for leadership, service, and making a difference. Share your formative experiences and how they have shaped your values and goals.
- Seek Strong Recommendations: Request recommendations from individuals who know you well and can speak to your leadership potential, character, and commitment to service. Semifinalists will be required to provide a recommendation from a community leader, such as a high school principal, elected official or executive director of a nonprofit organization.
- Pay Attention to Detail: Ensure that your application is complete, accurate, and well-written. Proofread carefully to avoid any errors.
Selection Process and Timeline
The GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program follows a multi-stage selection process:
- Application Submission: Applicants submit their applications online by the specified deadline. The 2026 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program Application is now closed. Notify Me for 2027Application closes January 5, 2026 at Noon CST
- Semifinalist Selection: A selection committee reviews the applications and selects a group of semifinalists based on their leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship.
- Semifinalist Requirements: Semifinalists will be required to provide a recommendation from a community leader, such as a high school principal, elected official or executive director of a nonprofit organization, and must provide documentation to certify academic performance and financial need.
- Finalist Interviews: Finalists participate in virtual interviews with members of the selection committee. April 2026 Finalists participate in virtual interviews.
- Scholar Selection: The selection committee chooses the scholarship recipients based on their overall qualifications and performance throughout the selection process.
Key dates in the selection process include:
- Semifinalist Deadline: Mid March 2026 Semifinalists submit a recommendation, a transcript, financial documentation, and a values statement.
Applicants should anticipate a response to inquiries within one business day. Check your spam folder to make sure you don’t miss it. Semifinalists are instructed on next steps.
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
In addition to the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program, the Reagan Foundation offers other scholarship opportunities:
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- GE Aerospace-Reagan Workforce Readiness Scholarship: Coming early 2026, the GE Aerospace-Reagan Workforce Readiness Scholarship will support high school seniors pursuing technical and career-ready education pathways. This new program will award numerous scholarships annually over the next five years to high school seniors preparing to enter programs such as technical degrees, industry certifications, skilled-trade training, two-year degrees, and other workforce-aligned post-secondary programs. Twenty-five percent of all scholarships will be reserved for students from military households.
Core Values Embodied by GE-Reagan Scholars
GE-Reagan Scholars are expected to embody the core values that President Reagan championed throughout his life and career:
- Leadership: Scholars exemplify, inside and outside the classroom, President Reagan’s vision and destiny to lead and serve. They thrive in extracurricular activities and pursue leadership roles to make a positive difference in their school, in their community and on the job. Scholars appreciate the value of a quality education and have an affinity for discovery and lifelong learning. They are conscientious about their studies and earnestly pursue academic achievement. Their initiative, imagination and innovation will play a significant role as our country tackles the problems of tomorrow.
- Drive: Just as President Reagan did, scholars optimistically look toward the future and pursue success with faith and determination. They have the conviction, ambition and courage to make their dreams reality. They approach their goals with an “it can be done” persistence, and are not deterred by life’s challenges. Scholars aspire to advance themselves, their families, and their communities with perpetual hope, self motivation and the power of hard work. They model uncompromising discipline, reliability and work ethic in balancing school obligations with employment.
- Integrity: Scholars are rooted in their principles, values and ethics. They possess the unique combination of self confidence and humility that defined President Reagan’s leadership. They earn the respect of their peers by demonstrating genuine integrity, dependability and hope for a brighter future. Scholars value family and demonstrate a strong commitment to their role as a contributing member. Often, they make sacrifices to support the overall needs of those around them.
- Citizenship: Scholars are driven by civic commitment and pride to engage actively in their communities and foster positive change. They value the freedom and equality that define our nation. Reflecting President Reagan’s ideals, they demonstrate accountability, tolerance, and belief in human potential, serving selflessly to enhance the prosperity of others. President Reagan envisioned a society cherishing liberty, opportunity, democracy, and national pride. Scholars embody his patriotism and share his faith in the virtues and abilities of free people and the strength of the nation they built.
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