For students who are higher-achieving in academics, there are myriad options that will provide academic challenges, opportunities and experiences. Some offer scholarship benefits and others provide academic rigor that will be reflected on your transcript upon graduation. 


Presidential Scholars Competition (First-Year Students only) 
The Presidential Scholars competition takes place in the fall of each academic year, allowing top high school seniors to compete for major scholarships at NMU. Any student is invited to apply for the competition, on the conditions that they have an ACT composite score of 24 or higher (or an SAT combined score in math and critical reading of 1160 or higher) AND a cumulative (ninth, tenth, and eleventh grads) high school GPA of 3.50 or higher.  With a variety of scholarships available, there are numerous opportunities to help alleviate financial stress for academically driven students. 


Freshman Fellowship (First-Year Students only)
The Freshman Fellowship program provides academically superb students with additional enriched educational experiences. Fellows must apply to the program and upon acceptance are placed with a mentor in their academic field. From there, they work 4 to 5 hours a week with their mentor on a number of projects while earning a cash stipend. Qualifications required to become a fellow are a minimum high school grade point average of 3.5 and a minimum score of 24 on the ACT or 1160 on the SAT.


Honors Program (First-Year and Transfer students) 
The honors program allows academically talented students with the opportunity for a four year series of courses designed to complement a student’s undergraduate degree, regardless of their major or field of study. The program is not a major itself, but substitutes specifically designed courses for most liberal studies and university wide graduate requirements to provide a unique learning experience. Students are invited to apply, provided they meet the qualifications of a 3.5 high school GPA, score of 27 or higher on the CT or SAT with a combined score of 1260 or higher, in addition to providing two letters of recommendation from high school teachers and a personal statement.