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Chancellor's Scholars

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The Chancellor’s Scholarship is the most prestigious academic scholarship that an incoming student can earn. Approximately the top 1% of applicants will reach the finalist stage, with a goal of enrolling a class of 40 first-year and five transfer Chancellor’s Scholars.

The scholarship covers full-tuition for eight semesters for first-year students and six semesters for transfer students. Applicants are evaluated for the Chancellor’s Scholarship based on their application to TCU and required supplemental materials.  Students who qualify based on their academic credentials will undergo a rigorous qualitative evaluation and committee review using resume, writing samples and letters of recommendation.  Applicants who advance to the finalist stage will be invited to participate in an interview process.

Students who wish to compete for the Chancellor’s Scholarship may find the requirements for first-year and transfer applicants outlined below.

To compete for the Chancellor’s Scholarship, first-year applicants must

Successful candidates possess: 

  • Near-perfect grades in the most rigorous curriculum available
  • High-quality writing samples
  • Impeccable academic references
  • A significant record of cocurricular and community involvement

Fall 2025 applicants who advance to the finalist stage will receive their invitation to Chancellor’s Scholars Experience by January 20, 2025.

Finalists and their guests will be invited to participate in a series of on-campus events February 16-18, 2025, culminating in Interview Day on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. In-person participation in Interview Day is expected for finalists residing in the United States and travel support is available to those who qualify.  Finalists residing internationally may request an interview via video-conference.

  • November 1, 2025 – Early Action / Early Decision I application deadline
  • November 15, 2025 – John V. Roach Honors College application deadline
  • January 20, 2025 – Applicants who advance to the finalist stage will receive their invitation to Chancellor’s Scholars Experience by this date and have approximately one week to register
  • February 16-18, 2025 – Chancellor’s Scholars Experience 2025
    • Sunday, February 16 – John V. Roach Honors College Preview
    • Monday, February 17 – Experience TCU & Chancellor’s Scholars Finalist Banquet
    • Tuesday, February 18 – Chancellor’s Scholars Interview Day
      (Finalists will be assigned a four-hour session during which they will complete two interviews)

To compete for the Chancellor’s Scholarship, transfer applicants must:  

  • Have a minimum 3.85 cumulative GPA and 60 transferable hours at the time of enrollment
  • Complete their fall semester TCU application by the February 1 Early Action deadline
  • Complete their Chancellor’s Scholars application supplement in myTCU portal by the February 15 deadline, including:
      • Scholarship résumé
      • Two academic letters of recommendation, preferably from college-level instructors. Letters of recommendation must be received by March 1.
  • February 1, 2025 – Fall Early Action application deadline
  • February 15, 2025 – Chancellor’s Scholars application supplement deadline
  • March 1, 2025 – Deadline to receive letters of recommendation
  • May 1, 2025 – Applicants who advance to the finalist stage will receive their invitation to Interview Day by this date and will have approximately one week to register
  • Late May 2025 – Transfer Chancellor’s Scholars Interview Day

 FAQ's

For first-year applicants complete your TCU application by the November 1 Early Action / Early Decision I deadline and the John V. Roach Honors College application by November 15.

For transfer applicants — complete your TCU application by the February 1 Early Action deadline and the Transfer Chancellor’s Scholar supplement by February 15. Faculty recommendations must be received by March 1.

In addition to applying by the deadline and completing the supplemental materials outlined above, successful candidates possess:

  • Near-perfect grades in the most rigorous curriculum available
  • High-quality writing samples
  • Impeccable academic references
  • A significant record of cocurricular and community involvement

Transfer applicants must have a 3.85 cumulative GPA and 60 transferable hours at the time of enrollment. AP courses taken in high school do not count toward the 60 transferable hours. Dual credit courses taken in high school do count toward the 60 transferable hours.

The Chancellor’s Scholarship covers full-tuition for eight semesters for first-year students and six semesters for transfer students. Students who complete the FAFSA and CSS profile will receive notification if they are eligible for additional need-based aid.

Students who advance to the finalist stage will be invited to participate in an interview process. First-year interviews take place in February and transfer interviews take place in May.

In addition to receiving full-tuition support, Chancellor’s Scholars are afforded special opportunities to interact with the Chancellor and other campus leaders. Scholars have access to both staff and peer mentorship programs and unique programming opportunities on and off campus.
Test scores are not considered in any phase of Chancellor’s Scholars review.
The Chancellor’s Scholars selection process is highly competitive. No combination of academic credentials guarantees an applicant an invitation to interview for the award.  Approximately the top 1% of applicants will advance to the finalist stage. We aim to enroll 40 first-year and five transfer Chancellor’s Scholars each year.
 To compete for the Chancellor’s Scholarship, transfer applicants must show that they are on track to earn 60 transferable hours by the time of enrollment at TCU. They do not need to have earned all of the hours at the time of application; some hours can be in progress. AP courses taken in high school do not count toward the 60 transferable hours. Dual credit courses taken in high school do count toward the 60 transferable hours.

For first-year applicants the John V. Roach Honors College application must be completed in the TCU portal. 

For transfer applicants scholarship résumés may be uploaded via the supplement in the TCU portal or emailed to transferfrog@tcu.edu. Instructor letters of recommendation must be uploaded or emailed to transferfrog@tcu.edu directly by the recommender. 

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