You can help us recognize Iowa’s top high school seniors! The Iowa Department of Education’s nominating period for the prestigious 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars program is now open through Sept. 30.
Educators, parents, community members and other interested partners are invited to submit nominations for students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievements or who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education (CTE) fields. Nominations for students who exhibit exceptional scholarship and leadership but may not receive recognition through other nominating processes, such as SAT and ACT scores, are highly encouraged.
Nominations will be reviewed for the following categories:
● Academic achievements
● School and community involvement
● Leadership and character
● Overcoming personal obstacles, heavy workload and family responsibilities
For the CTE component, nominations will also be reviewed for high achievements in CTE, such as completion of a work-based learning experience, involvement in a career and technical student organization, earning an industry-recognized credential and the application of real-world problem solving, among others.
The Iowa Department of Education will submit up to 25 students to the U.S. Department of Education for consideration, which includes a maximum of 10 male and 10 female students for the General Component category and five students for the CTE category. Candidates selected to move forward in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars process will be invited to submit additional information by the U.S. Department of Education. Awardees will be honored at the annual National Recognition Ceremony.
As one of the highest honors a student can achieve, the U.S. Presidential Scholars program recognizes up to 161 students around the country each year for outstanding accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education. For 2024, Iowa’s U.S. Presidential Scholars were Andrew Dong from Iowa City West High School and Sarah Park from Ames Community High School.
Application forms and additional information on the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars General Component and CTE nominations can be found on the Department’s website.
For further details on the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website.