Welcome to the 2024-2025 LEDA Scholars Application! Deadline to apply is December 11, 2024.
LEDA is looking for highly motivated high school juniors with strong academic records and a desire to develop their leadership abilities to join the 21st Cohort of LEDA Scholars.
We’re excited that you have chosen to apply and are here to support you
through the application process.
Please read ALL of the information below before starting your application.
Who should apply:
- Junior attending public high school in the U.S. graduating in 2026
- U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status
- Annual household income under $90,000 (assets will also be considered)
- Minimum unweighted cumulative GPA of 3.5
Note: Students attending private schools that predominantly serve low-income families and are low or no tuition for all students are also eligible to apply. Email recruitment@ledascholars.org to confirm your eligibility. JKCF Young Scholars are not eligible to apply.
Successful applicants demonstrate:
- A desire to be challenged academically
- A strong commitment to their studies
- A desire to be a leader in their families, schools, and communities
- A connection to LEDA's core values of excellence, integrity, compassion, and community
LEDA’s review process is holistic, which means that all parts of an application will be considered before making a decision.
The application process:
The LEDA application process consists of three parts: Part I, Part II and Part III.
- Part I: Demographic information, extracurricular involvement, family information, two short essays, a writing sample, academic information (to be completed by a counselor), and a letter of recommendation (to be completed by a teacher).
- Part II: Record of residency, tax forms, schedules and other applicable financial documents for all parents/guardians with whom an applicant has regular contact, and updated academic information.
- Part III: A virtual interview with a member of the LEDA recruitment and admissions team.
The LEDA application is modeled after the common application and will help students prepare for the college application process.
Application Timeline:
- September 4th: LEDA Application opens
- December 11th: Part I deadline - 11:59 PM PST
- Early March: Part I applicants are notified
- Mid March: Part II application deadline
- End of March/Early April: Part II applicants are notified
- April: Finalist interviews are completed
- Mid April: All remaining applicants are notified and 100 LEDA Scholars are offered admission to the program
AI Policy
LEDA believes that AI can be a useful tool for writers, but in order to asses your fit for LEDA we need to see the writing that you can produce without this tool. While you may receive input from teachers, counselors, family and peers as you complete your application, it is important that all components of your application be your original work.
Application Help
For questions about the LEDA Scholars program, application, or application process please use this form to submit a help request: Click here to submit a help request
LEDA Resources
How to save your LEDA application:
- Select the save and resume later link (located at the top right and bottom right of the page).
- Enter your email address and create a password. We recommend that you copy, paste and save the email and password exactly how you enter it on your device each time you save. You will have to enter your email and password exactly how you entered it the last time you saved in order to gain access to the most recent version of your application.
- You will receive an email with a link to resume your application. Do not create a new application if you do not receive an email. Contact recruitment@ledascholars.org and we will help you gain access to your account.
- If you do not receive an email you can always access your application by visiting the LEDA website, clicking on the application link, and selecting resume a previously saved form on the top right corner and entering your email and password that you entered when you saved the application.
- We highly advise applicants to work on/save their long-form answers and activities on google documents or an alternative platform that saves information as they work on it. We cannot retrieve any information that is not saved on the application in the event it is lost.