Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program

The Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program (Mayor’s Scholars) was created to support District of Columbia students who want to enroll in an area college or university to pursue their first associate's or bachelor’s degree. Before a student can complete an application for the Mayor’s Scholars program, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) recommends that the student first determine if they are eligible for the Mayor’s Scholars program using the information below.

Applicant Eligibility & Program Requirements

To be eligible to apply for and participate in the Mayor’s Scholars program, you must meet certain residency, academic, financial need, and enrollment requirements. After you determine that you are eligible to apply for the Mayor’s Scholars program, you can prepare to complete the online application in the Application for Postsecondary Studies (APS). To complete the application, you must show that you meet residency, academic, financial need, and enrollment requirements described below. Each requirement is related to a document you will submit in the online application in APS.

Residency & Domicile Requirements

To participate in and receive funding from the Mayor’s Scholars program, you must have been a resident of the District of Columbia for the last 12 months preceding enrollment in your first year of college.

Residency & Domicile Requirement Verification

Use the table linked below to identify the documents you will need to provide. (Please provide each document you need in one of the following formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpeg). Please choose one from Column A AND one from Column B.

If you have completed a 2026-27 award year DCTAG application and been deemed eligible for DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) award funding, you are not required to submit residency and domicile supporting documents again for the Mayor’s Scholars application for the 2026-27 award year cycle. If you are not eligible for the DCTAG program, or did not complete a DCTAG application for the 2026-27 award year cycle, you must submit supporting documents from the list linked above with your Mayor’s Scholars application for the 2026-27 award year cycle.

Academic Requirements

To participate in and receive funding from the Mayor’s Scholars program, you must meet the criteria of one of the applicant types listed below and meet all academic eligibility requirements associated with the applicant type. OSSE uses this information to understand your commitment to higher education to show us that the funds will be used to support progress toward completion of a degree.

Mayor’s Scholars Applicant Types

To be eligible to apply for and participate in the Mayor’s Scholars program, students must fall into one of the applicant types below:

1. Returning awardees of the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program were awarded funds during the school year immediately prior to the current application season (example: Student received Mayor’s Scholars funding in the 2023-24 school year and is applying for 2024-25 funding).
2. New applicants to the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program are or will be: A graduate (or expected graduate) of a public high school in the District of Columbia (including District of Columbia Public Schools and public charters), within the years 2011-2026 (15 years preceding the submission of their application);

OR

A District of Columbia resident who passed the GED exam or earned a diploma through the National External Diploma Program (NEDP), within the years 2011-2026 (15 years preceding the submission of their application)

Academic Eligibility Requirements for Mayor’s Scholars Applicants

• New applicants to the Mayor’s Scholars program who are current or recent high school students (have graduated or will graduate between 2011-2026 from a public or public charter high school in the District of Columbia) must have graduated with a final grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 and must provide their final transcript as a part of their application to the Mayor’s Scholars program. If an applicant provides a current, but not final (post-graduation) high school transcript, Mayor’s Scholars staff will request a final transcript prior to approval for the program, if an applicant meets all other program eligibility requirements.
• New applicants who have earned/are pursuing their secondary credential through completion of the GED/NEDP at the time of application to the Mayor’s Scholars program (have earned or will earn the GED/NEDP between 2011-2026) must provide a letter of recommendation from a teacher, professor, program director, principal, dean, advisor, or supervisor at the high school, employer, or community-based organization. A student who has already earned their secondary education credential (i.e., a high school diploma) is not eligible for GED/NEDP test registration based on the GED testing service’s requirements. Therefore, Mayor’s Scholars applicants who have obtained a secondary education credential (i.e., a high school diploma) should not register for GED/NEDP courses and exams and will not be considered eligible for Mayor’s Scholars program based on GED/NEDP participation.
• Returning applicants to the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program must provide their final college or university transcript (unofficial or official). Each college or university has their own SAP standards and/or definition, but typically, SAP requires a GPA of 2.0 or higher in addition to minimum credits earned.
• New applicants who are already enrolled in a Mayor’s Scholars-approved college or university, but are not current Mayor’s Scholars awardees, must have either graduated from high school (and earned a diploma) with a final GPA of 2.5 between 2011-2026 or earned a GED/NEDP between 2011-2026. Those who graduated high school between 2011-2026 must provide their final high school transcript as a part of their application. Those who earned their GED/NEDP between 2011-2026 must provide a letter of recommendation from a teacher, professor, program director, principal, dean, advisor, or supervisor at the high school, employer, or community-based organization as a part of their application. All applicants in this category must provide a final college or university transcript (unofficial or official) to demonstrate a college GPA of 2.0 or higher from their most recent semester.

Once enrolled in an eligible college or university an applicant must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements each semester to maintain academic eligibility for Mayor’s Scholars. Online courses are allowable if they satisfy institution requirements for SAP. If a program participant does not meet SAP at the end of an academic year, they will not be eligible to re-apply for Mayor’s Scholars the next academic year. However, after one year of ineligibility based on academic minimums, an applicant may re-apply for Mayor’s Scholars funds if their college or university determines they have met SAP requirements. In order to be eligible to apply for the upcoming award year and to continue to receive funding in subsequent years, Mayor’s Scholars must earn a minimum of 12 credits per academic year (if pursuing an associate's degree) and 24 credits per academic year (if pursuing a bachelor’s degree).

Financial Need Requirements

To participate in and receive funding from the Mayor’s Scholars program, you must meet all financial eligibility requirements listed below. Typically, an applicants financial need is determined by their parent/guardian’s financial need. OSSE follows guidance and policy of the federal government in regard to student/parent dependency. Eligible applicants must demonstrate financial need. The income thresholds that OSSE uses to determine financial need of applicants to the Mayor’s Scholars program are detailed below and updated annually. In the 2022-23 award year, Mayor’s Scholars shifted from using Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to determine financial need to using the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The income thresholds listed below are for the 2026-27 award year.

Financial Eligibility Requirements for Mayor’s Scholars Applicants

Applicants must have a District of Columbia household taxable income below 300 percent of the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the US Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).