Robertson Scholars

Scholarship Sponsored by Robertson Scholars Leadership Program

Overview

The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program welcomes applications from all students regardless of citizenship or nationality. High school applicants must submit the Robertson High School Application by the stated deadlines and separately apply for undergraduate admission to UNC–Chapel Hill and/or Duke University by each institution’s deadlines. Applicants may apply to other institutions or scholarship programs, and may submit Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular Decision applications to Duke and UNC–Chapel Hill. Transfer and graduate students are not eligible.

Description: The program selects scholars through a multi-stage process that includes application review, group activities, and interviews. High school applicants may choose an Early Notification or Regular Application timeline. Invitations to later stages (Group Activity, interviews) are not guarantees of admission to Duke or UNC–Chapel Hill.

• Open to domestic and international applicants who can obtain a U.S. student visa.
• Apply to both the Robertson program and to Duke and/or UNC separately in the same admissions cycle.
• Early Notification and Regular deadlines determine notification windows for the Group Activity stage.

Application and Interview Timeline

The application cycle follows a defined schedule of opening, deadlines, evaluation stages, and campus visit events. Applicants should note the application opening date and the two application deadlines (Early Notification and Regular). Invitations to Group Activity and interviews are issued on a rolling basis within the stated windows. Final scholarship offers and expense-paid campus visits occur in mid- to late March.

Application Timeline: Application Opens: August 15, 2026. Early Notification Deadline: October (date to be specified). Regular Application Deadline: November (date to be specified). Group Activity: December 2026–February 2027. Semi-Finalist Interviews: February 2027. Finalist Interviews: Early March 2027. Scholar Recipient Campus Visits: Late March 2027.

• Application opens August 15, 2026; observe Early vs. Regular deadlines for different notification timelines.
• Group Activity invitations are issued December–February on a rolling basis.
• Semi-finalist and finalist interviews occur February–early March; final offers and campus visits follow in mid/late March.

Selection Process

The selection process comprises five sequential steps: application submission, a group activity for selected applicants, semi-finalist interviews, finalist interviews, and campus visits for offered scholars. Invitations to each stage are issued on a rolling basis within the stated windows; applicants not selected for a given stage will be notified by the specified dates. Participation in an intermediate stage does not imply admission to Duke or UNC–Chapel Hill. Final scholarship offers are confirmed before the campus visit period.

Process Overview: The five steps are: application (Early & Regular), Group Activity (by invitation), Semi-Finalist Interview, Finalist Interview, and Scholar Recipient Campus Visits.

1. Step One — Application: Choose Early Notification or Regular Application.
2. Step Two — Group Activity: Invitations issued December 2026–February 2027.
3. Step Three — Semi-Finalist Interview: Invitations issued in February 2027.
4. Step Four — Finalist Interview: Invitations and notifications in early March 2027.
5. Step Five — Scholar Recipient Campus Visits: Offered scholars invited to expense-paid visits in late March 2027.

• Stages are sequential and partially rolling—timely submission affects notification timing.
• Receiving an invitation to a stage is not the same as university admission.
• Final decisions and campus visit invitations occur in mid-to-late March.

Eligibility

Applicants must apply for undergraduate admission to Duke and/or UNC–Chapel Hill in the same year they apply to the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program and meet each institution’s application deadlines. International applicants are eligible if they can obtain a visa to study in the United States. Transfer students and applicants seeking graduate degrees are not eligible; students on a gap year who have already been admitted must wait to matriculate before applying to the Robertson program.

Eligibility: Candidates must coordinate university admission and Robertson program applications in the same admissions cycle and follow each school’s deadlines and procedures.

• Must apply to Duke and/or UNC–Chapel Hill the same year as the Robertson application.
• Admission to Duke and UNC is handled separately through each university’s admissions office.
• International applicants are eligible if they can secure a U.S. student visa.
• Transfer and graduate students are ineligible; admitted gap-year students must matriculate before applying.