Presidential Scholarship 2025-2026

STUDENT AFFAIRS & ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
This scholarship will be awarded for the Academic Year

The Presidential Scholars Distinction-in-Service Program is the most prestigious scholarship award offered by San Francisco State University. Funded through the generous support of YF Chang, the Osher Foundation, and James Alan Ross, the scholarship requires excellence in academics and distinguished service to the community.

• Awarding Department: Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
• Scholarship Intent: The scholarship recognizes high achieving first time freshman who have distinguished themselves as scholars and leaders in their communities. The award provides full coverage of resident tuition, a course material/textbook allowance and on-campus housing for up to six (6) first-time Pell Grant eligible freshman from traditionally under-represented communities in the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma) and surrounding counties (Colusa, Glen, Lake, Mendocino, Merced, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus) for up to four years of full-time study at SF State pending budgetary approval and satisfactory completion of program requirements.
• Criteria: Non-Resident students (out of state) are not eligible to apply.
  Presidential Scholar applicants are required to submit:
  1) One letter of recommendation (from a teacher, coach, counselor or community member). IMPORTANT APPLICATION INFORMATION: The reference letter must be received, via AcademicWorks, no later than the application deadline in order for an application to be considered qualified and reviewed. This requires applicants to submit their application before the deadline, which includes providing the reference name and email address. References should be notified by the applicant that letters need to be submitted through AcademicWorks no later than a week before the application deadline, to allow time to solve any potential issues. Applicants should check their AcademicWorks student portal to ensure that reference letters have been submitted before the application deadline, re-sending reference letter requests for letters not submitted. Applications that do not have the required reference letter by the deadline will not be reviewed and are not eligible for the scholarship.
  2) A one-page letter of application that addresses the following question: _How has your service and work within your community strengthened your abilities as a student, and how do you plan to continue to thrive in your academics and in the area of service if selected for this distinguished program? _
  4) Finalists will be interviewed by video conference or phone as a part of the review and selection process in April.
  Scholarship Award Requirements:
  1) Selected scholars will be required to live in designated campus housing. ADA accommodations will be made.
  2) Scholars must participate in on and off-campus events to promote the importance of scholarship and service in the Bay Area.
  3) Scholars are required to meet with their respective College Chairs’ Council and Dean of the College where their primary major is housed to discuss opportunities to represent the college as its’ Presidential Scholar Ambassador.
  4) Each semester, students will participate in a leadership course taught by the Presidential Scholar Program’s Faculty Coordinator.
  5) Presidential Scholars must choose a faculty mentor from their major. The mentor, along with support from the Faculty Coordinator guides scholars in their short and long-term academic, professional, and community engagement goals.
  6) Scholars must spend one semester on a study abroad program by their senior year to advance the Presidential Scholars mission of advancing and culturally and socially diverse society of life long learners.
  8) To continue to receive the scholarship award, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA each semester and participate in all program activities.
• Major: Any
• Class Level: HS Seniors; Undergrad: N/A; Grad: N/A
• Enrollment Status: Entering
• Enrollment Requirement: Undergrad: FULL-TIME (12 UNITS); Grad: N/A
• Financial Need as determined by the FAFSA and/or CA Dream App: Yes, must be Pell Grant eligible
• Citizenship: Any (International students are not eligible to apply)
• GPA: HS GPA: 3.5; Undergrad GPA: N/A; Grad GPA: N/A
• Contact Person: Cristina Azocar or Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
• Campus Address: SSB 403
• Street Address: 1600 Holloway, San Francisco, California 94132
• Phone Number: (415)338-3134
• Email: cazocar@sfsu.edu
• Web page: http://www.sfsu.edu/~vpsa/index.html
• Number of Awards: varies