The Dean's Fellowship Program honors students who have achieved an outstanding scholastic record in high school and who have demonstrated leadership ability through activity in their schools or community. The following is a list of value-added programming Fellows are eligible for throughout their time as students at Buena Vista University. Dean’s Fellowships are awarded in the amount of $2,000 per year to students with minimum qualifications include a composite 26 ACT or a top 10 percent class rank. The following is a list of value-added programming Fellows are eligible for throughout their time as students at Buena Vista University.

Freshman Seminar: Fellows will participate in this class with other Dean's Fellows. One of the advantages of this class is the field trips and other opportunities that are provided to illustrate the issues discussed in the classroom.

Exploratory Experiences I and II: A $500 and a $1000 stipend will be given to assist Fellows in funding trips for our domestic travel and international travel opportunities during January Interim.  Among the goals of these trips are to bring students in contact with professionals and political leaders, expose students to the richness of other cultures and to add depth to a student's major program.

Academic Assistantships: During the junior and senior years, students may have the opportunity to earn a maximum stipend of $1,000 with an Academic Assistantship. Academic Assistantships provide students with an opportunity to build close working relationships with a professor in the classroom conduct research activities or work on other significant projects related to one's academic program/preparation.

Additional Opportunities: Throughout their time as a Dean's Fellow, students will be invited to attend and/or participate in special functions, meetings and audiences with well-known leaders in their intended field of study. Some examples of such opportunities may include attendance at a small luncheon with a featured speaker, a field trip to the symphony or an opportunity to work on active research with faculty and present findings at regional or national conferences.