Presidents Leadership Class (University of Colorado Boulder)

The Presidents Leadership Class (PLC) is CU Boulder's signature leadership-development scholars program, selecting 50 incoming students each year for a four-year cohort built around leadership coursework, mentorship, and community engagement. There's no minimum GPA or test score to apply — admission runs through a separate PLC application (submitted after the CU Boulder General Scholarship Application, with its own written prompts) — but scholars must keep a 3.0 college GPA to stay eligible for PLC funding. Every PLC scholar receives a guaranteed $1,000 merit scholarship in their first year only; after that, funding isn't automatic, but PLC scholars can compete for a range of PLC-exclusive named scholarships throughout the program.

Eligibility

DemographicsRequires admission to University of Colorado Boulder; open to incoming first-year applicants nationally — no GPA or test-score threshold to apply, though a 3.0 college GPA must be maintained to keep receiving PLC scholarship funds.

Applying

Guaranteed $1,000 ($500/semester), freshman year only. Additional PLC-exclusive scholarships are awarded competitively in later years, not automatically.