The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is a national non-profit academic

honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy S ...

for college students in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. NSCS has active chapters at over 300 colleges and universities in the

, including the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

.Association of College Honor Societies. 2010
/ref>

Overview

As of Spring 2021, NSCS had over 300 registered and active on-campus chapters, including the national chapter and 1.4 million members, including 125,000 active members and 45,000 new members each year. Prior to January 2020, membership was available to first- and second-year college students with GPAs of at least 3.4. As of January 2020, the GPA requirement was reduced to 3.0. In either case, the GPA fulfills the requirement of being in the top 20% of their class. The organization has been criticized for charging a membership fee for opportunities that are available for free, with one campus newspaper calling it a "scam".

Affiliations

NSCS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization accredited by the

Association of College Honor Societies The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a predominantly American, voluntary association that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. ACHS coordinates member organizations, fac ...

, and is

tax-exempt Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

. The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is a member of several organizations, which include the

, the certifying agency for college and university honor societies in the United States. Other organizations of which NSCS is a member include the following: *

National Collegiate Honors Council The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is an association of undergraduate honors programs, colleges, directors, deans, faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) ...

(NCHC) *

National Association of Student Personnel Administrators The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) is a U.S.-based student affairs organization boasting more than 13,000 members at 1,400 campuses and 25 countries. Founded in 1919 at the University of Wisconsin, NASPA is one ...

(NASPA) *National Scholarship Providers Association * American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers *

American Association of Community Colleges The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education building in Washington, D.C., is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely wit ...

* Association of American Colleges and Universities *

National Academic Advising Association NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is an international, educational association of individuals engaged in the work of academic advising. Its membership of over 10,000 international indivi ...

Because NSCS is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, student members qualify for a two-level pay grade increase with the U.S. Federal Government.

Finances

Notable figures from the organization's most recent (2018) Form 990 report to the IRS include: * $4,777,294 received in membership dues * $417,282 paid out in scholarships * $1,543,128 paid out in salaries, including $290,069 to the CEO/founder * $2,016,946 in office expenses

Fees

As of November, 2021, NSCS offers three tiers of membership. Whichever level is chosen requires a one-time application fee; hence, an applicant can join at the Premium level and skip the Basic level. There are presently no annual dues. Application fees are: * Basic membership, $97 * Premium membership, $189 * Premium Plus membership, $389 Basic membership offers access to a scholarship pool of up to $750,000 in scholarships and awards annually, some of which goes directly to chapter funding. There are 125,000 active members (students) who are eligible to apply for these funds. Premium membership suggests "access to apply for an additional $100 million in scholarships via The Hub PLUS."The Hub Foundation's website explains that up to 15 students annually will be awarded scholarship in Islamic Studies
accessed 12 November 2021. It does not indicate what percentage of these are NSCS students, nor whether particular schools are required. This is a funding source not under the control of NSCS, but rather, the ''Hub Foundation International'', whose website explains that eligibility includes those engaging in "Islamic Studies and related fields." It provides funds for up to 15 students each year. The relationship between the two organizations is unclear. The third tier of membership, "Premium Plus" allows several personal coaching sessions, such as resume review, personal mentoring and a 'graduation package'.

History

NSCS was founded in 1994 at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

, by Steve Loflin, who, at the time, worked in Student Affairs at

. The first NSCS

Convocation A convocation (from the Latin '' convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Greek ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose, mostly ecclesiastical or academic. In a ...

Induction was held on the George Washington University campus on April 30, 1994. Loflin founded NSCS to recognize students who performed well academically during their first years in college and to provide members with an opportunity to take a leadership role in the organization. In 2017, NSCS partnered with

Active Minds Active Minds is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health, especially among young adults, via peer-to-peer dialogue and interaction. Active Minds was founded by Alison Malmon in 2003, after her older brother died by suicide in 2 ...

to help remove stigmas surrounding

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles Stress (biology), stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-maki ...

. NSCS and Active minds emphasized that there is no correlation between GPA and mental health, and that high achievers should also not hesitate to seek mental counseling when necessary. In 2020, NSCS entered a second major partnership with the

Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association was founded by Jerome H. Stone with the help of several family members in Chicago, Illinois, and incorporated on April 10, 1980, as the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. It is a non-profit Ame ...

. This facilitated letter writing campaigns, virtual visits, and fundraising for the organization, conducted by dozens of chapters across the country. In 2021, NSCS went through a rebranding, releasing a new logo and color scheme. At the same time, the organization launched new programs and services for members including a new portal to allow members from all campuses to interact online, access benefits, and find mentors.

Scholarships

NSCS offers both

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduate scholarships totaling over $400,000 per year. NSCS provides members with access to over $750,000 in scholarships and awards. Premium membership in NSCS "provides access to $100 million in scholarships via a related company, the Hub Foundation", but the amount distributed is not guaranteed to NSCS students, and the $100M appears to be an investment pool, a fraction of which is distributed, and for the fifteen people that may win scholarships, they are limited to specific fields of study.

References

External links

*
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
(Association of College Honor Societies) {{authority control Association of College Honor Societies Student societies in the United States Honor societies Organizations established in 1994