How Act Six Works

Students are eligible to apply now if they:

• love their community and want to use their college education to make a difference as a leader on campus and at home;
• will graduate from high school in 2023, or previously graduated in 2022 or 2021;
• are not currently enrolled at a four-year college (students at two-year colleges may apply);
• live in one of four Act Six program sites; and
• want to attend at least one of the Act Six partner colleges in their program site.

While ethnicity and family income are considered as factors in selecting an intentionally diverse group of scholars, there are no income restrictions, and students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

There is no minimum GPA requirement and admissions standards vary across our partner colleges. In general, applicants with a GPA below 3.0 will need to demonstrate their readiness for academic success in college through their recommendations, essays and/or test scores.

Act Six utilizes Common App to make the application process more efficient for applicants and the recommenders who support them. The information provided to Act Six through Common App can also be used to apply to more than 900 colleges across the country.

The process to apply for Act Six is as follows:

1. Complete the Act Six Interest form. If you are eligible, we’ll email you a link to add Act Six to your Common App.
2. Use the personalized link in your email to create a Common App account and add Act Six to your “My Colleges” list. If you have already started your Common App, the button will add Act Six to your existing application.
   • You cannot search for or add Act Six to your “My Colleges” list without the personalized link we send you after completing an interest card.
   • From the Common App, send invitations to your school counselor, teacher and community recommenders.
   • Complete and submit your Common App to Act Six by the November 15 deadline.
     • A Common App high school report and transcript must also be received from your counselor by November 15.

Applicants selected to advance to the in-person Phase II event will be asked to submit additional information, including a video, additional essay and financial information by December 8, along with Common App recommendations from a teacher and community member.

Act Six scholars are chosen through a rigorous, highly competitive, three-phase selection process that spans four months.

Phase I: Common App

Applicants apply to Act Six by submitting the Common App by November 15, including the personally essay and the high school report and transcript from their counselor. After an initial screening of Common App materials, applicants are notified whether they will advance by email on November 23.

Phase II: Addition Materials + In-Person Event

Candidates will be given three weeks to provide additional materials by December 8, including an individual video, an additional essay, financial information, and preferred rankings of Act Six partner colleges.

Candidates then participate in a local half-day interactive event on December 10 where they demonstrate their academic and leadership potential while working together to address a complex community issue. Candidates learn more about each partner college and based on that information can update their college preferences after the event. A local community committee considers candidates’ performance on both the written and interactive components to name 15-25 semifinalists for each partner college. Decisions are emailed on January 30.

Phase III: Virtual Campus Visit

Semifinalists travel to the college for which they were selected for a two- or three-day on-campus event between February 10 – March 3. Phase III allows students to experience campus life as they participate in a four-part evaluation process that includes a personal interview, an on-site writing task, academic seminar discussions, and group problem-solving activities. A parent or guardian is invited to participate in a portion of the visit. Depending on local conditions, an alternative virtual event may also be offered. Partner colleges select finalists and decisions are emails on March 6.

Final Decision and Announcement

Finalists are given one week to decide and commit to the Act Six program by March 13, agreeing to participate fully in the six-month training program. Applicants may withdraw from the process at any time prior to this commitment.  The new class of Act Six scholars are formally announced to the public on March 24.

Every year Act Six recruits diverse, multicultural cadres of a region’s most promising emerging urban and community leaders. We seek young people who want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their communities at home.

Act Six scholars must be:

• committed to anti-racism and compelled to work for justice and equity,
• passionate about learning,
• eager to foster intercultural relationships,
• willing to step out of their comfort zones,
• committed to serving those around them, and
• ready to make a difference on campus and at home.

The selection process also places high value on applicants’ teamwork, critical thinking, communication skills and academic potential.

Selecting Act Six scholars is a complex and multi-faceted process that considers many factors.  The selection committees use the following questions to guide their evaluation of Act Six applicants.  These questions best summarize what we are looking for in Act Six scholars.

• To what extent will the student contribute to the racial, economic, and experiential diversity of an Act Six cadre?
• To what extent is the student prepared to succeed and thrive academically at the selected college?
• To what extent will the selected college be a good fit for this student?
• To what extent will the student eagerly engage in a year-long exploration and discussion of Christian perspectives on leadership, diversity, and social justice?
• To what extent does the student understand and desire to advance the stated mission of the selected college?
• To what extent will the student be a service-minded leader and an agent of transformation on the college campus?
• To what extent will the student be committed to serving others and to what extent will s/he view the Act Six initiative as an opportunity to reach out to those around them?
• To what extent will the student be committed to and effective in fostering intercultural communication and acting as an agent for social change on the college campus?
• To what extent does the student see a sense of purpose in their participation in the Act Six Initiative?
• To what extent will attending the selected college and participating in the Initiative align with and/or transform the student’s goals and vision for their life?
• To what extent will the student be able and willing to persevere through hardship? How resilient are they to the challenges and struggles that life brings?
• To what extent does the student possess a depth and strength of character that will serve to encourage, support, and empower those around them?

Starting in March, new cadres meet together weekly to:

• establish supportive friendships and grow as a team
• hone study and time-management strategies
• build intercultural and community leadership skills
• wrestle with important and challenging social issues

In addition to the weekly meetings, the program includes:

• week-end retreats and conferences
• family workshops and social events
• additional visits to the college campus
• an extended summer expedition

Blending practical college success skills, leadership training, self-discovery and cadre team-building, the Act Six training program revolves around the following seven themes:

Vision

• Identifying and aligning with our core values
• Understanding the vision, mission, and foundation of the Act Six program

Leadership

• Exploration of various leadership styles
• Exploration and development of personal leadership strengths
• Practical tools for leadership

Service

• Christian motivations for and perspectives on service
• Frameworks for understanding service and community development
• Connecting individual gifts and passions with community needs

Diversity

• Exploring differing cultural lenses and their effect on intercultural relationships
• Understanding and communicating across differences
• Exploring race dynamics in America and on the college campus
• Identity formation in a multicultural environment

Community

• Trust-building and nurturing of authentic relationships
• Acknowledging and supporting individual strengths and weaknesses
• Exploration of community and campus assets and needs

Preparation

• Critical reading, writing, and discussion skill development
• Time and money management
• Anticipating and addressing the personal and social challenges of campus life

Transformation

• Dynamics of personal and organizational change

Act Six offers full-tuition, full-need urban leadership scholarship. Act Six works with colleges and other partners to guarantee that full scholarship recipients receive grants that, at minimum, cover full tuition at the college for four years.

Scholars with need beyond tuition (as determined by the FAFSA) will receive additional grants and work-study to fully meet that need. For most scholars, the awards will, therefore, cover some or all of the cost of room and board, books, travel, and personal expenses.

To retain the scholarship, scholars are required to remain active in the program and maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout their undergraduate studies.

Here’s how the full scholarships work:

1. Each year students must work with their parents to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which will determine the family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Students who are unable to complete the FAFSA will complete an alternative form to determine their EFC.
2. The family’s need is then determined by subtracting their EFC from the total cost of attendance (including tuition, room and board, books, travel, and personal expenses).
3. Act Six award packages begin with any government student aid or outside scholarships for which students qualify.
4. After outside grants and scholarships have been applied, the college commits to providing scholarship aid that will meet full tuition for every Act Six scholar.
5. If the family’s need exceeds the cost of tuition, the college commits to providing additional scholarship aid and work-study to meet full need.
6. Each family will be responsible for covering their EFC.

Because financial aid policies generally prevent colleges from exceeding need and because Act Six awards meet the full need without a loan, scholars can be assured that they are receiving unsurpassed award packages.

On campus, faculty and staff mentors meet regularly with the cadres and with each individual scholar as needed. Mentors provide social support and connect students with campus resources. This support helps scholars thrive academically, but also empowers them to get involved and step out into leadership roles on campus and in the surrounding community.

Back home, Act Six staff and coaches provide additional support, ongoing leadership development and assistance connecting with internships and career opportunities.

Every two years, Act Six hosts a regional convention that convenes scholars and graduates from across the region for three days of challenging speakers, workshops, and networking, along with a career and graduate school fair.

When you consider moments of significant positive change that have happened in your community, you can usually point to a group of connected people who made it happen. Networks of effective leaders working together get things done. The problem is that those leadership networks don’t always look like or represent the full breadth of a community, and as a result, some groups tend to get left behind. For our communities to thrive in the future, we need diverse networks of homegrown leaders who love their home and are committed to building vibrant communities where everyone thrives.

It is precisely this kind of diverse, committed leadership network that Act Six is producing.  Now, after two decades and hundreds of Act Six graduates, we are beginning to see the fruits of this fabric of leadership as graduates grow in their responsibility and deepen their connections in the community.