High school students are eligible to apply for the Scholars Program if they meet at least ONE of the following criteria:

• are graduating in the top 10 percent of their high school class 
• have an ACT composite score of 26 or above 
• have a high school GPA of 3.5 or above

International students may apply with an IB score of 34 or above.

Transfer students who have earned a college GPA of 3.5 or above or who have a letter of support also may apply.

Interested students who do not meet any of the above requirements for application may apply to the program with a letter of support from an individual who can speak to his or her intellectual promise.

A completed application includes two essays submitted at the link below. The deadlines are as follows:

• Domestic students: April 1 for priority consideration.
• International students: May 15 for priority consideration.
• For all incoming first-year applicants, May 31 is the final deadline.
• Transfer student applications are considered on a rolling basis.

Participation in the Wartburg Scholars Program culminates in an Academic Scholars Project. This is typically completed in a student’s senior year and focuses either on an independent or collaborative research project or some other creative endeavor, depending upon the student’s interests. The format of the project is highly dependent upon the nature of the project, one’s academic major program requirements, and the guiding principles of one’s academic discipline. Students present their work at the annual Research, Internship, and Creative Endeavor Day (RICE Day) and submit a written thesis. In their junior or senior year, students identify research mentors and begin preparation of their proposals. Proposals are due to the program committee during Fall Term of their senior year. 

Examples of past Academic Scholars Projects:

Derek Norton, Biology
Effect of Opposite-sex Pheromones on Immediate Early Gene Expression in Castrated and Intact Male Goldent Hamsters
Mentor: Samantha Larimer Bousquet

Serena Ugoretz, English
The Young Latino American Dream
Mentor: Zak Montgomery

Brian Vachta, Mathematics/Physics
From Source to Detector: Research in Astronomy, Photometry, and the Atmosphere
Mentor: Charles Figura

Ngaire Honey, Spanish/International Relations
Educating Afro-Brazilian Girls for Citizenship in Bahia, Brazil
Mentor: Brett Billet

Allison Milner, Spanish
A Memoir of Sorts
Mentor: Amy Nolan

Abbigail Mueller, Music Therapy
The Musical Moment:  An Analysis of Paul Hindemith’s Bassoon Sonate
Mentor: Gregory Morton

Jon Juett, Mathematics/Computer Science
John Deere Driving Simulation
Mentor: John Zelle

Rebecca Fishbune, Community Sociology/Psychology
Knowledge of and Social Distance from Autism Spectrum Disorders
Mentor: Shaheen Munir