Frequently Asked Questions

Lafayette Posse Scholars are from New York City and the DMV area- including Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Each year, there are 80 Posse Scholars. Some Scholars study abroad at different times throughout their four years so the number of students physically on campus may fluctuate but in general, there are 80 Scholars on Lafayette’s campus.

For the first two years on campus, Scholars are required to attend weekly meetings with their Posse and Mentor. Scholars are also required to attend bi- weekly individual meetings with their Mentor. There are also Big Meetings that Scholars must attend once a semester. These meetings consists of all the 80 Scholars on campus, their mentors, our campus Liaison and some familiar faces from back home like their Pre-Collegiate Trainers and Directors. Attendance at the Posse Plus Retreat (PPR) in February is another requirement for Scholars (unless you’re studying abroad). At PPR, a topic which was decided by all the Posse’s across the nation is discussed in a 3- day off campus retreat complete with bonding activities, informative sessions, and other programmatic aspects. At PPR, Scholars are strongly encouraged to invite a student from Lafayette to attend the retreat as well. This is to ensure that conversations had at PPR, are continued on Lafayette’s campus.

Posse Scholars are involved in a number of different organizations and leadership positions on campus. These include Orientation Leaders, Pardners, or Peer Mentors, Admissions Ambassadors, EXCEL Scholars, and Kaleidoscopers.

Besides the support of their individual Posse, other Posses on campus and Posse mentors, Scholars at Lafayette can also rely upon resources provided by Lafayette such as the Academic Resource Hub, which provides peer tutoring, Writing Associates, better known as WAS,  the Counseling Center, and a number of other resources which can be found here.

Because Posse includes a full tuition scholarship, Lafayette allows tuition fees to transfer to abroad partner institutions, therefore Scholars are able to travel and study abroad.

Due to the required weekly meetings with their Posse in the first two years, most Posse Scholars who are non-Engineering majors study abroad during their junior year. Due to the nature of their curriculum, Engineering majors study abroad during the spring of their sophomore year.

Many Scholars become RAs, or Resident Advisors. This usually covers a majority of Room and Board costs. Scholars may also work on or off campus, or apply for outside scholarships.

Mentors may be professors or members of Lafayette’s administration.

Posse Mentors serve as a support system, not only for their own Posse Scholars, but the Scholar community in general.