While the Chancellor’s Scholarship has changed since it began in 1974, one thing remains the same: less than one percent of applicants to TCU become Chancellor’s Scholars.

In 2014, 65 out of over 17,000 TCU applicants received the Chancellor’s Scholarship—the highest number of recipients in program history, according to data from the Office of the Chancellor.

“Given that it’s the 40th anniversary and how far the program has come in general, I think it’s certainly a special year,” said Michael Marshall, the chancellor’s intern.

The scholarship, which pays full tuition over four years, amounts to $38,510 per year, compared to $2,100 per year in 1974.

Funding for the scholarship comes from TCU’s financial aid budget, which is comprised of endowment and operational funding, Marshall said.

When the Chancellor’s Scholarship began under Chancellor James Mattox Moudy, for whom the Moudy Building was named, 12 people received the scholarship.

Two years after Victor Boschini became chancellor in 2003, he proposed an expansion to the program. He announced at the 2005 University Convocation that he wanted TCU to have 160 Chancellor’s Scholars by 2020.

There are currently 187 Chancellor’s Scholars studying at TCU, Marshall said.

Chancellor’s Scholars were once chosen simply through examination of the prospective student’s application to TCU.

In 2012, the program added an interview to the process. Potential Chancellor’s Scholars receive an invitation to come to campus for Chancellor’s Scholar’s weekend, where candidates are interviewed to determine if they should be selected.

Current scholars, like senior nursing major Monica Orjuela, assist in interviewing candidates.

Following the interview and examination of the student’s academic achievements and extracurricular involvement, the student is notified if he or she has received the scholarship.

Orjuela’s sister, Marcie, said she was “ecstatic” when she discovered she, too, had been chosen for the scholarship.

As Chancellor’s Scholars, students also have the opportunity to participate in retreats, social events and, in 2015, a trip to Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Although the program has expanded since 1974, Dean of Admission Ray Brown said the Chancellor’s Scholars Program has tried to stay true to its roots.

“We don’t want to lose sight of the TCU that was,” he said.

With 40 years of Chancellor’s Scholars, junior nursing major Marcie Orjuela she is glad to be one of them.

“Just looking at my future and thinking about what I’m going to achieve and what legacy am I going to leave at TCU,” she said, “it’s daunting, but it’s also really exciting.”