There are multiple entry points into the College of Business James Scholar Program.

Admission to the University of Illinois and the College of Business

Approximately 100 incoming freshmen students (including freshmen students in the College of Business Honors Program) will enter the College of Business as James Scholars based on an individual evaluation of their admissions application to the College of Business.  All students admitted to the freshman class of the College of Business will be reviewed for James Scholar honors.  The evaluation is based on high school class rank and standardized test scores in addition to the individual reading of the application by the College of Business.  Approximately, the top 15% of admitted students are invited to enter the College of Business as James Scholars.  Notices are emailed and mailed to invited students in March.

Freshmen in the College of Business who do not enter as James Scholars

Freshmen who do not enter the College of Business as a James Scholar and who earn at least a 3.5 GPA in at least 14 graded Illinois credit hours will be invited to petition to become a James Scholar nominee. The email invitation will be sent in mid-January to eligible students who must then complete a petition form available in the College of Business Office of Undergraduate Affairs by 5 PM on the second Monday in February. To complete the requirements to become a James Scholar, these eligible freshmen must:

1. Complete an honors class of at least three credit hours with a grade of B- or better. (See the procedures for taking an honors class in the FAQs for James Scholars.)

Or

Complete the basic level certification in the Market Information Lab.  http://business.illinois.edu/marketinfolab/certification.html

2. Earn a GPA of 3.5 for the spring semester in at least 14 graded Illinois hours with a cumulative average of at least 3.5 for the freshman year.

3. Participate in the Sleeman Leadership Institute or an approved substitute.

The Office of Undergraduate Affairs will evaluate the James Scholar nominees during the summer after their freshman year to determine if they have qualified as James Scholars. If they qualify, the students will be eligible for James Scholar benefits starting with the sophomore (or second) year.

Sophomores (2nd year students) in the College of Business who are not James Scholars after freshman year

All sophomores in the College of Business who are not recognized as James Scholars may petition to become James Scholars nominees if they have a freshman year GPA of at least 3.5 with at least a total of 30 graded credit hours.
College of Business sophomores who wish to be considered for James Scholars status must complete a petition form available in the College of Business Office of Undergraduate Affairs by 5 PM on the second Monday in September. To complete the requirements to become a James Scholar, these eligible sophomores must:

1. Complete an honors class of at least three credit hours with a grade of B- or better. (See the procedures for taking an honors class in the FAQs for James Scholars.)

Or

Complete the basic level certification in the Market Information Lab.  http://business.illinois.edu/marketinfolab/certification.html

2. Earn a GPA of 3.5 for the fall semester in at least 14 graded Illinois hours with a cumulative average of at least 3.5 for the freshman year.
3. Earn a GPA of 3.5 for the spring semester in at least 14 graded Illinois hours
4. Have cumulative average of at least 3.5
5. Complete one of the following:
1. Participate in an international experience approved by the College of Business Office of International Programs.
2. Enroll in leadership certificate sponsored by the Illinois Leadership Center. Students must make successful progress toward meeting the requirements of the leadership certificate in the sophomore year as determine by the Illinois Leadership Center.
3. Tutor College of Business students for 40 hours in one academic year under the supervision of the College of Business Office of Undergraduate Affairs.
4. Successful participation in Illinois Business Consulting.
5. Successful participation in OTCR (The Office for Technical Consulting Resources).
6. Successful participation in Social Entrepreneurship Summer Program (SESP).
7. Work as a research assistant for a faculty member in the College of Business.
8. Successful participation in the PricewaterhouseCoopers xACT competition by finishing among the top three teams or earning honorable mention by the competition judges.   Dr. John Hedeman, Assistant Dean Honors, hedeman@illinois.edu
9. Successful participation in the E&Y “Your World Your Vision” case competition by finishing among the top three teams or earning honorable mention by the competition judges.  Dr. John Hedeman, Assistant Dean Honors, hedeman@illinois.edu
10. Successful participation in the KPMG Global case study competition by finishing among the top three teams or earning honorable mention by the competition judges.  Dr. John Hedeman, Assistant Dean Honors, hedeman@illinois.edu
11. Serve as a Social Entrepreneurship Institute fellow.  Dr. Collette Niland, Assistant Dean for Advising and Registration, cniland@illinois.edu
12. Serve on the student leadership team for the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership.   academy@business.illinois.edu
13. Serve on the BUS 101 student leadership team.  Professor C.K. Gunsalus, course director, BUS 101, gunsalus@illinois.edu

The Office of Undergraduate Affairs will evaluate the James Scholar nominees during the summer after their sophomore year (2nd year) to determine if they have qualified as James Scholars. If they qualify, the students will be eligible for James Scholar benefits starting with the junior year (3rd year).

Transfer Students to the College of Business from another college on the Champaign-Urbana campus.

University of Illinois students who have earned James Scholar status for the academic year prior to their transfer officially to the College of Business, the James Scholar status will transfer with the student. Once students are in the College of Business, they must meet College of Business standards for James Scholar status.

Incoming sophomore transfer students may petition to become a James Scholar if they enter the College of Business with at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and at least 30 transferable credit hours. College of Business sophomores who wish to be considered for James Scholars status must complete a nomination form available in the College of Business Office of Undergraduate Affairs by 5 PM on the second Monday in September. 

Petitions are available in the College of Business Office of Undergraduate Affairs, 1005 BIF. Deadline for sophomores is the 2nd Monday in September.

Transfer Students to the College of Business from another university or college not on the Champaign-Urbana campus.

Students who transfer to the College of Business from another university or college after freshman year and begin in the College of Business as sophomores may petition to become James Scholars during the fall semester of the sophomore year - deadline is the 2nd Monday in September by 5 PM. Students entering the College of Business after two years in college (approximately 60 credit hours) made petition to become a James Scholar in the College of Business if they have been members of an academic honors program at the college from where they are transferring. Academic honorary societies do not count as honors programs.