Lead a team. Manage real investments. Build with AI. Serve your community. Earn your distinction.
At the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, students do more than study business. They practice it.
Lead Teams | Manage Capital | Build With AI | Serve Community |
What is the Lally Scholars Program?
The Lally Scholars Program is an experiential distinction at RPI’s Lally School of Management. It is designed for motivated undergraduate students who want to do meaningful work while earning their degree.
Scholars complete five foundational commitments shared by the cohort, then choose at least four additional elective engagements that match their goals. These experiences are organized around the skills business leaders need most:
- Lead Teams: corporate immersion, case competitions, published writing, and other leadership-focused experiences.
- Manage Capital: the James Student-Managed Investment Fund, professional certifications, and applied finance or business analytics opportunities.
- Build with AI: faculty research, entrepreneurship, innovation projects, and technology-enabled business experiences.
- Serve Community: community outreach, pro bono consulting, study abroad, and other service-oriented engagements.
Every Scholar completes a capstone and presents their work at the Lally Scholars Symposium. At graduation, the school issues a verified Achievement Record signed by the Dean and designed to show employers and graduate programs what the student actually accomplished.
A transcript shows the courses a student completed. The Lally Scholars Achievement Record shows the work a student did.
Choose where to start
Learn how the program works, what Scholars experience, who is eligible, and how the Lally Scholars Achievement Record turns real work into a verified credential.
https://lally.rpi.edu/lally-scholars-how-it-works
How it works
Start with five shared commitments, choose your own path, present your capstone, and graduate with a verified record of real work.
Recruit Lally Scholars
Meet a selective community of proven students, review verified records of real work, and connect with candidates ready to contribute.
Achievement Record
See how the Lally Scholars Achievement Record documents completed experiences, developed competencies, and evidence employers can trust.
Signature Experiences
Explore how Scholars build experience where business meets technology: investments, AI, research, leadership, and what comes next.
Who is eligible?
Open to Lally undergraduate and dual-major students, the program offers two ways to earn your place: invitation at admission or application from within Lally.
Frequently asked questions
The Lally Scholars Program is different from a traditional honors label. It is an experiential distinction earned through substantial work and verified by the school. Grades matter, but the program is built around applied experiences, leadership, research, AI, investing, service, and a final capstone.
Strong admitted students may receive an invitation from the Dean with their offer of admission. There is no additional application fee for invited students.
Yes. Current sophomores and juniors in Lally with a 3.4 GPA may apply each January through the internal pathway.
Students need a 3.4 GPA to confirm or apply for Scholar status and must maintain a 3.4 cumulative GPA to remain in good standing.
Lally Scholars complete an AI Academy sprint, join the Scholars Society, take on a leadership or engagement role, complete a professional milestone, complete a capstone, and choose at least four elective engagements. These may include faculty research, the James Student-Managed Investment Fund, study abroad, entrepreneurship, corporate immersion, case competitions, community outreach, pro bono consulting, and more.
The Achievement Record is an official, verified credential issued by the Lally School of Management. It documents the Scholar’s completed experiences, outcomes, and competencies. It is designed to help employers and graduate schools understand what the student actually did.
The program is open to Lally undergraduate majors and Lally dual majors.
The Lally Scholars Program launches in the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
