Overview

The Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program (Mayor’s Scholars) provides need-based funding for eligible District of Columbia residents earning their first associate or first bachelor’s degree at select area colleges and universities. The program is a last-dollar award, meaning it can be used to fill the gap between a student’s financial aid package and the cost of attendance at their college or university.

The program serves returning awardees and new applicants, including new applicants who have recently completed the National External Diploma Program (NEDP) or earned their GED. If you are interested in applying for the Mayor’s Scholars program or need additional information about processing your Mayor’s Scholars award, please visit the Students page. Institutions that need support processing Mayor’s Scholars student awards should visit the Institutions page. All of the information on these webpages can also be found in the Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program Policy Guide linked here.

Applicants must re-apply to the Mayor’s Scholars program each year. The 2025-26 Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program application is available in OSSE’s Application for Postsecondary Studies. Please review the information on the Students page before you create an application in APS. Submission of a Mayor’s Scholars program application does not guarantee that an applicant will receive funding from the Mayor’s Scholars program.

If you are interested in other scholarships that OSSE offers, please visit the Scholarships and Grants for Students webpage.

For more information, please contact Melanie Fleming at [email protected] or (202) 741-6406.