Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program

Our virtual scholarship competition will be held on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Competition events will begin at 9:00 am CST and will conclude at 4:00 pm CST.

Our virtual scholarship competition will be held electronically via Zoom. Links will be provided to all competitors via email in advance of the competition.

All qualified applicants from the following states, districts, and territories are invited to compete virtually.

Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa (see lists of counties below), Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri (see lists of counties below), Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin (see lists of counties below), Wyoming

Students who attend our virtual competition will participate in three primary activities that will be used, in conjunction with other aspects of their application, as part of the selection process for the next cohort of Reagan Fellows. Students will complete a panel interview, which will consist of 15 minutes of questions from two Eureka College faculty and a current Reagan Fellow. Students will also complete a group exercise, which will involve a group of applicants responding to a simulated leadership problem in need of resolution. This exercise will be evaluated by two additional Eureka College faculty and a current Reagan Fellow. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to build community by virtually touring campus, talking with program and college faculty, and getting to know our current group of Reagan Fellows. More information on each of these competition components is available here.

Our virtual competition is designed primarily for qualified applicants from outside of Illinois who, because of their distance from campus, are not easily able to make it to the on-campus competition. Due to their proximity to campus, all qualified applicants from Illinois should plan to compete in the on-campus competition. However, students may request a waiver to compete virtually. Waivers can be completed and submitted here. Waivers will be granted only in cases of family emergency, financial hardship, and extracurricular conflict. Waivers must be received and approved by no later than October 31, 2025.

Our virtual competition is designed primarily for qualified applicants from outside of Indiana who, because of their distance from campus, are not easily able to make it to the on-campus competition. Due to their proximity to campus, all qualified applicants from Indiana should plan to compete in the on-campus competition. However, students may request a waiver to compete virtually. Waivers can be completed and submitted here. Waivers will be granted only in cases of family emergency, financial hardship, and extracurricular conflict. Waivers must be received and approved by no later than October 31, 2025.

Due to their distance from Illinois, qualified applicants from the following counties in western Iowa are eligible to compete virtually.

Allamakee, Bremer, Buena Vista, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Clayton, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Hancock, Harrison, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Sioux, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, Wright

As noted on the on-campus competition page, qualified applicants in the following counties in central and eastern Iowa should plan on competing on-campus due to their proximity to campus.

Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Aubudon, Black Hawk, Benton, Boone, Buchanan, Calhoun, Carroll, Clinton, Clarke, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hardin, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster

Due to their distance from Illinois, qualified applicants from the following counties in western Missouri are eligible to compete virtually.

Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Bollinger, Buchanan, Butler, Caldwell, Camden, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Cooper, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, DeKalb, Douglas, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howell, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Linn, Livingston, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Ozark, Pettis, Platte, Polk, Pulaski, Ray, Saint Clair, Saline, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Wayne, Worth, Wright

As noted on the on-campus competition page, qualified applicants in the following counties in central and eastern Missouri should plan on competing on-campus due to their proximity to campus.

Adair, Audrain, Bollinger, Boone, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Clark, Cole, Crawford, Dent, Dunklin, Franklin, Gasconade, Howard, Iron, Jefferson, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Maries, Marion, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, New Madrid, Oregon, Osage, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Reynolds, Ripley, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Saint Louis, Saint Louis City, Sainte Genevieve, Schuyler, Scotland, Scott, Shannon, Shelby, Stoddard, Warren, Washington

Due to their distance from Illinois, qualified applicants from the following counties in northern Wisconsin are eligible to compete virtually.

Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marinette, Marquette, Oconto, Oneida, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas, Washburn

As noted on the on-campus competition page, qualified applicants in the following counties in central and southern Wisconsin should plan on competing on-campus due to their proximity to campus.

Adams, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Marathon, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Shawano, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood

Yes! If you are able and willing to drive or fly to campus we are excited to welcome you.

Students will select their competition as part of their RSVP submission form. For more information, please refer to the review of the application process outlined here.

Yes! We will have programming available for parents and other family members, including a parent information panel with members of the college administration and opportunities to meet with faculty and students.