Flinn Foundation Press Room

Background on the Flinn Scholars and the Flinn Scholarship

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About the Flinn Scholarship

The Flinn Scholarship, awarded annually to 20 Arizona high-school seniors, is one of the most prestigious merit-based scholarships in the United States. It provides four years of study at an Arizona public university, academic-focused travel abroad, personal mentorship by faculty, and other benefits.

The Flinn Scholars Program is among a handful of statewide or regional merit-based undergraduate scholarship programs run by private philanthropies. The program is operated by the Flinn Foundation Scholarship Program LLC and supported by the Flinn Foundation, a private, nonprofit, grantmaking charity based in Phoenix. The first Flinn Scholars were selected in 1986; to date, the program has awarded more than 450 scholarships. Today, the package is valued at more than $54,000--on top of the cash value of tuition from the student’s chosen university.

What does the Flinn Scholarship Provide?

Some of the benefits of the Flinn Scholarship are quantifiable. But many are not. Each Flinn Scholar receives:

  • the value of eight semesters of tuition (in partnership with Arizona’s universities);
  • a stipend for room, board, books, supplies, and incidental campus expenses;
  • a three-week, all-expenses paid summer seminar in Central Europe after the freshman year;
  • additional support for at least one more international study-travel experience and further professional development;
  • supplemental intellectual, cultural, and social activities developed exclusively for Flinn Scholars;
  • individual mentoring by top university faculty, community leaders, Foundation staff, and a network of more than 360 Flinn Scholar alumni;
  • personal encounters with leaders in business, government, education, science, and the arts;
  • membership in a university honors program or college, with the many amenities it provides; and
  • fellowship in a community of similarly high-achieving students.

 

Who Can Apply for the Flinn Scholarship?

Over 500 applications are reviewed each fall, followed by two rounds of interviews. Baseline qualifications: U.S. citizen and Arizona resident for at least two years; minimum 3.5 GPA; rank in top 5 percent of graduating class; minimum score of 1300 on the SAT I (critical reading and math sections only) or 29 on the ACT; participation and demonstrated leadership in a variety of extracurricular activities.

About the Flinn Foundation

The Flinn Foundation was established in 1965 by the late Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Flinn with the broad mission of improving the quality of life in Arizona. In addition to the Scholars program, the Foundation's primary emphasis is to help Arizona become a global competitor for research and commercialization in the biosciences.

For more information, contact the Flinn Foundation.