The Posse Foundation Scholarship: How Posse Scholars Are Selected
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 18, 2026 • US Financial Aid & Scholarships
The Posse Foundation sends groups of 10 high school students, called a Posse, to one of 63 partner colleges each year with a full-tuition leadership scholarship. Students are nominated by their high school, not through a solo application.
🎓 63 partner colleges award full-tuition Posse Scholarships.
💵 Partner colleges have awarded more than $2.65 billion in Posse Scholarships since 1989.
📩 Students are nominated, usually in spring of junior year.
⏱️ Posse Scholars graduate at a 90 percent rate.
What the Posse Foundation does
The Posse Foundation, founded in 1989, recruits students through offices in 10 major US cities plus virtual recruitment in more than 10 additional cities, and sends teams of 10 students from the same city to the same partner college as a Posse. Each Scholar receives a full-tuition leadership scholarship from the college, and partner colleges have awarded more than $2.65 billion in Posse Scholarships since the foundation started. The foundation works with 63 partner colleges and universities , including Cornell, Vanderbilt, and the University of Virginia.
Posse aims to identify leadership potential that a transcript alone does not capture, then back that potential with enough financial support that cost never becomes the reason a student leaves campus.
Why Posse uses a group model
Instead of sending one scholarship winner to a campus alone, Posse selects a cohort of 10 students from the same city who train together before college and support each other once enrolled. The peer network helps first-generation and low-income students stay enrolled and finish their degrees. Posse Scholars graduate at a 90 percent rate, above the national average for the general college population.
How students get nominated
You do not apply to Posse directly. High schools and community organizations that are registered Posse nominators put forward students, typically as early as the second semester of junior year . Ask your counselor whether your school has a Posse nomination relationship, since not every school participates.
What nominators look for
Reviewers pay close attention to how you describe your own growth, not only what you have already accomplished.
Leadership within your high school, community, or family
Academic potential, though Posse does not require a specific GPA or test score
Being in your first term of senior year at the time of nomination
Being nominated on time, since deadlines vary by Posse city
The Dynamic Assessment Process
Once nominated, you go through Posse's Dynamic Assessment Process, a series of group activities and interviews that evaluate how you communicate, solve problems, and work with others rather than testing academic content alone. Reviewers look for students who lead as well as collaborate, since each cohort spends four years supporting one another on campus.
What the scholarship covers
Each Posse Scholar receives a full-tuition scholarship directly from the partner college for four years. The award goes toward tuition specifically, so budget for room, board, books, and other costs unless your college offers separate need-based aid to cover them.
Typical nomination timeline
| Stage | When it happens |
|---|---|
| Nomination by your school or a partner organization | Spring and summer before senior year |
| Dynamic Assessment Process interviews and activities | Fall of senior year |
| Posse selection decisions | Winter of senior year |
| Pre-Collegiate Training Program | Weekly sessions through the rest of senior year |
Exact dates vary by Posse city, so confirm the schedule with your local Posse office once your school nominates you.
Examples of partner colleges
Posse's partner list includes Cornell University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia, Pomona College, and Boston University, along with dozens of other four-year colleges across the country. Which colleges recruit from your city depends on where you live, since each Posse city partners with a different set of campuses.
Recent scholarship totals
Partner colleges selected 829 Posse Scholars for the Class of 2026 , awarding $173.3 million in full-tuition scholarships that year alone. Chicago Public Schools seniors led the list with 95 full-tuition scholarships from Posse partner colleges.
After you are selected
Selected Scholars take part in the Pre-Collegiate Training Program, a series of weekly sessions during senior year that prepare your Posse to work together once you arrive on campus. Posse continues mentoring throughout your four years, including a campus liaison who checks in with your cohort.
Other Posse tracks
Alongside the main city-based nomination process, Posse also runs a Posse Veterans Program and a Posse Arts Program, each with its own nomination path and eligibility rules. Check the Posse Foundation site for your city to see which programs are active near you.
If your school does not have a Posse relationship
Not every high school is registered with Posse, and there is no way to nominate yourself if your school does not participate. Ask your counselor to reach out to the Posse Foundation about establishing a relationship, or look into whether a local community-based organization in your city partners with Posse instead of relying only on your high school.
Comparing Posse to a solo scholarship
| Feature | Posse Scholarship | Typical solo full-ride scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| How you apply | Nominated by your school or a partner organization | You submit an application yourself |
| Support system | Arrives on campus with a cohort of 9 other students from your city | Enrolls alone, without a built-in peer group |
| What it covers | Full tuition for four years | Varies by program |
| Ongoing support | Weekly mentoring and a campus liaison through graduation | Varies by program |