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Alumni College Scholarships

Our Alumni College Scholarships help NSLC Alumni matriculate at any 4-year U.S. university.

Alumni College Scholarship Overview

Apply for an alumni college scholarship.

To recognize the hard work, talent, and dedication of our alumni, the National Student Leadership Foundation has designated a portion of the NSLF scholarship fund for a merit-based alumni college tuition scholarship program.

The NSLF will award three scholarships to outstanding National Student Leadership Conference alumni to attend any 4-year U.S. University. There are three awards:

$20,000

$10,000

$5,000

Each scholarship is a one-time award given before the fall semester.

Qualifications
Requirements
Deadline
Dates
Apply
Recipient Requirements

Applicant Qualifications

This is a merit-based scholarship. Applications will be evaluated on academic excellence, demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities, and submitted essays. Please note that this is a highly competitive scholarship.

To be eligible for the NSLC Alumni College Scholarship, applicants must:

Attend the NSLC before their senior year of high school
Apply for the scholarship during their senior year of high school
Gain admission to a 4-year U.S. university

Application Requirements

All application components must be submitted via the online application. No mailed, emailed, or faxed documents will be accepted.

The online application will require you to submit:

Letter of Recommendation: Provide your educator’s email address and they will be sent submission instructions
List of extracurricular activities
2 essay questions
- Essay 1: Tell us what you’re excited about for college and your future after high school. How has your NSLC experience helped you as you prepare for it? (500 word maximum)
- Essay 2: Tell us about an event, person, or experience that has helped shape who you are today. (500 word maximum)
Digital copy of transcript
Proof of acceptance to a 4-year US University (this is submitted if you get the award)

Information submitted to the NSLC is confidential and will not be disseminated outside of the NSLF scholarship review board.

Application Deadline

All components of the Scholarship Application must be completed and uploaded no later than 11:59PM CST on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Important Dates

Event	Date
Application Opens	Early February 2025
Application Deadline	11:59PM CST, April 2, 2025
Award Notification	8:00PM CST, April 23, 2025
Acceptance Deadline	May 14, 2025

Apply Online

When you have assembled the above materials and are ready to apply, please click below to start the application process. The application allows you to save your work and return at a later time to finalize your submission.

Start Application Process

Questions? Please email collegescholarships@nslcleaders.org.

Your future starts here.

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NSLC Cancellation & Refund Policy

Cancellation requests may be submitted through the Manage Registration section of your online student portal.

30-Day Grace Period	Cancellation Fee
Enrollments submitted before April 1, 2025, have 30 days to cancel without penalty. After 30 days, or if enrolling after April 1, please see the table below.	$0 (full refund)

30-Day Grace Period

Cancellation Fee

Enrollments submitted before April 1, 2025, have 30 days to cancel without penalty.

After 30 days, or if enrolling after April 1, please see the table below.

$0 (full refund)

Cancel Date	Cancellation Fee
By April 1, 2025	$150 (5 day programs) $350 (6-9 day programs) $500 (12-18 day programs)
April 2 – May 1, 2025	$350 (5 day programs) $1000 (6-9 day programs) $1500 (10-18 day programs)
May 2, 2025 or after	100% of tuition paid*

*The NSLC will not charge additional payments. Payment plans will automatically end at the time of cancellation.

Flexible Monthly Payments

All enrollments submitted prior to May 1, 2025 will be automatically placed on a convenient monthly payment schedule. After your program deposit, any remaining tuition costs will be divided into equal payments automatically charged to the credit card on file.

Want to remove autopay or adjust your payment dates? Contact us to easily make the changes that work best for you. Final payments are due no later than 30 days before the session begins.

Student Protection Plans

Protect your tuition payments against unexpected circumstances by adding a Student Protection Plan. Affordable insurance can be attached to your enrollment during the application process or in your student account any time before your program begins.

Review full plan details here.

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What does my tuition include?

Tuition covers housing and on-campus meals, plus course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

What does my tuition include?

Tuition covers housing (if applicable) and on-campus meals, plus course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

Residential Option: Residential students live in a campus dormitory supervised by NSLC staff. Students are housed with one or two roommates on a floor with students in their age range. The front desk of the dormitory is monitored 24 hours a day.

Commuter Option: After Registration Day, Commuter students will check in each morning from 7:00 AM to 7:30 AM and check out each evening from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Commuter tuition includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, but does not include housing accommodations. During the active program hours between check-in and check-out each day, we kindly ask that students only be signed out from activities for medical or family emergencies.

Request Recommendation Letters

Jobs Notification Request

What does my tuition include?

Middle school students choose a Residential or Commuter option when enrolling:

International Diplomacy Travel Details

International Diplomacy students will divide their time between two campuses, spending 6 days at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and 3 days at Columbia University in New York, NY.

All sessions will arrive at Georgetown University and depart from Columbia University.

After you’ve been accepted into the program, please visit your student account before planning travel for more detailed information.

What is the NSLC?

The National Student Leadership Conference provides an immersive pre-college experience that prepares students for life beyond middle and high school, allowing them to study in university classrooms, learn to navigate a campus, and experience living with roommates. Students are able to explore a career concentration they are interested in before going into college and declaring a major. Each NSLC program also contains a leadership curriculum designed to teach skills that can apply to all areas of life.

Am I eligible to attend NSLC?

We encourage all 6th-12th grade students who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership ability to apply to our summer programs.

For high school programs, students must be between the ages of 14-18 and have completed at least one year of high school. Students may attend NSLC through the summer following high school graduation.

For middle school programs, students must be at least 11 years of age and currently enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.

How do I enroll?

Click here to get started! NSLC applications are completed online and require a deposit with a credit or debit card. If you would like to place your deposit with a check, please email info@nslcleaders.org.

Is there a deadline to apply?

While we have suggested seasonal deadlines, NSLC will continue to accept applications if space is available in a program or on a program’s waitlist. The online enrollment application will display all current availability.

How are students invited?

Students are selected for NSLC in a variety of ways. Teachers, counselors, and NSLC alumni nominate students from across the United States and around the world each year. Students may also be selected from one of several national talent identification surveys, including the College Board Student Search Service and the ACT EOS.

Do you have scholarships?

Yes! Students demonstrating financial need, academic merit, and school or community involvement are encouraged to apply for a Summer Program Scholarship to offset their summer tuition costs. Click here to learn about the process.

What does tuition include?

Middle school students choose a Residential or Commuter option when enrolling:

What is your refund policy?

Cancellation requests may be submitted through the Manage Registration section of your online student portal.

30-Day Grace Period	Cancellation Fee
Enrollments submitted before April 1, 2025, have 30 days to cancel without penalty. After 30 days, or if enrolling after April 1, please see the table below.	$0 (full refund)

30-Day Grace Period

Cancellation Fee

Enrollments submitted before April 1, 2025, have 30 days to cancel without penalty.

After 30 days, or if enrolling after April 1, please see the table below.

$0 (full refund)

Cancel Date	Cancellation Fee
By April 1, 2025	$150 (5 day programs) $350 (6-9 day programs) $500 (10-18 day programs)
April 2 – May 1, 2025	$350 (5 day programs) $1000 (6-9 day programs) $1500 (10-18 day programs)
May 2, 2025 or after	100% of tuition paid*

*The NSLC will not charge additional payments. Payment plans will automatically end at the time of cancellation.

Do you have payment plans?

Yes! All enrollments submitted prior to May 1, 2025, will be automatically placed on a convenient monthly payment schedule. After your program deposit, any remaining tuition costs will be divided into equal payments automatically charged to the credit card you used to sign up.

Want to remove autopay or adjust your payment dates? Contact us to easily make the changes that work best for you. Final payments are due no later than 30 days before the session begins.

How do waitlists work?

Once a program has reached capacity, you will see a Waitlisted status appear next to the dates on our application. If you would like to join the waitlist, please complete the enrollment process and place a deposit like normal to add your name. Once a cancellation is received, we will offer the newly opened space to the next student on the list. Your deposit is fully refundable if you do not move into the program or choose to remove your name.

Keep reading our Waitlist FAQs for more information.

Program Scholarships

We understand that family circumstances may not enable all qualified students to attend our programs without financial assistance.

Students demonstrating financial need, academic merit, and school or community involvement are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to offset their summer tuition costs.

Click here to learn about the process.

Film Intensive Travel Details

Film Intensive students will divide their time between two campuses, spending 9 days at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA, and 9 days at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.

All sessions will arrive at UCLA and depart from UBC.

After you’ve been accepted into the program, please visit your student account before planning travel for more detailed information.

What does my tuition include?

Tuition for our Day Programs covers course materials, academic expenses, activities, and any off-campus trip transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself, including parking fees, are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs.

Students attending both an AM and PM program will have the option of adding a pre-paid lunch option on their myNSLC page.

Business & Leadership

Design, Art & Media

Engineering & Computer Science

Government & Law

Medicine & Biological Sciences

Day Programs

Our Programs

Northwestern UniversityChicago, IL

University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA

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Alumni References

Popular Searches

Common Questions

Alumni College Scholarships

Alumni College Scholarship Overview

Apply for an alumni college scholarship.

Applicant Qualifications

Application Requirements

Application Deadline

Important Dates

Apply Online

Your future starts here.

NSLC Cancellation & Refund Policy

Flexible Monthly Payments

Student Protection Plans

Request a brochure

Request alumni references

Find your Program

Email Us

What does my tuition include?

What does my tuition include?

Request Recommendation Letters

Jobs Notification Request

What does my tuition include?

International Diplomacy Travel Details

What is the NSLC?

Am I eligible to attend NSLC?

How do I enroll?

Is there a deadline to apply?

How are students invited?

Do you have scholarships?

What does tuition include?

What is your refund policy?

Do you have payment plans?

How do waitlists work?

Program Scholarships

Film Intensive Travel Details

What does my tuition include?

Northwestern University
Chicago, IL

University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA