UVA Today

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation has announced the names of 57 high school seniors selected to join the Jefferson and Walentas Scholars’ Class of 2027.

Recipients of both scholarships will receive the full cost of attending UVA for four years of study, as well as numerous enrichment opportunities, including a foreign travel studies program, leadership and team-building workshops, career networking opportunities and exclusive access to venture funding through the foundation’s Exploratory Fund.

To build the Class of 2027, the foundation coordinated two similar, yet distinct and highly competitive selection processes for the prestigious scholarships.

First, students had to be nominated by their high schools based on their record of achievement in the areas of leadership, scholarship and citizenship. Additionally, Walentas Scholar nominees must be college pioneers, among the first in their families to pursue and earn a four-year college degree. Regional selection committees of UVA alumni then reviewed the nominations and extended interviews to those who met the selection criteria. Regional finalists were then invited to participate in a final round of interviews.

The winners hailed from 20 different states, as well as two from London. Twenty-two are from Virginia, including 13 of the 17 Walentas Scholars.

To see the full list of scholarship recipients, visit the foundation’s 2023 Selection Results web page.