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Thank you for your interest in the JCPenney Leadership Program! This program is designed for high achieving students that demonstrate or show potential for leadership. This program is devoted to cultivating students' leadership qualities and therefore requires a commitment of 5-10 hours from each associate every month with a larger commitment during the Candidate Associate process. Please be sure you can commit your time to this program before applying.

• Applicants MUST attend a Prospective Associate Information Session. These sessions will be offered both at the end of the Spring semester, during the Summer semester, and at the beginning of the Fall semester. RSVP for an info session by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3SHtIOd
• Applicants must have attended college two full semesters or have earned at least 30 hours of credit with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.  (You must have sophomore standing within Price College at OU)
• Applicants must be enrolled full-time (12 hours) and maintain status as a Price College undergraduate major.
• Applicants must have no less than four full semesters remaining before earning an undergraduate degree. (Students graduating prior to May 2028 are not eligible to apply)

Two essay questions are required to complete this application. Responses are to be between 300-500 words in length. If you have applied before, do not submit the same essay questions from previous applications. The questions are:

Essay Question #1: What is the most crucial issue facing the business world today and why?

Essay Question #2: What non-fiction book have you RECENTLY read that has taught you an important leadership lesson? What is the lesson that you learned from this book and why is this lesson important to you?

Applicants must submit two recommendations. Your recommendations should attest to your good character as well as to your leadership ability and/or other qualities that indicate acceptability for admission to the program. Your recommenders from OU will fill out a form available at a link below. Non-OU recommenders will submit a traditional letter of recommendation which is also available at a link below.

All recommenders should have personal knowledge of your character and leadership ability and should attest to the extent that you are a high-potential, high-performance business student and leader in the tradition of the JCPenney Leadership Program. Ask your references to submit their recommendations online using the links below.

Your recommendations must be received by the application deadline of 5pm on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

• Freshmen with Sophomore standing (30 credit hours): one recommendation must be from a high school teacher or, preferably, from a professor with whom you earned concurrent credit.
• Sophomores: one recommendation must be from OU faculty or staff who has worked with you in an academic setting (i.e. in a classroom).
• Juniors: one recommendation must be from Price College faculty or someone who has worked with you in an academic setting (i.e. in a classroom).
• Transfer students: one recommendation must come from a faculty member at your previous college or someone who has worked with you in an academic setting (i.e. in a classroom).

We do NOT recommend that both recommendations be from a faculty member. A second recommendation should come from someone who can speak to a candidate's leadership or service outside of an academic setting so that those reviewing applications get a well-rounded view of the applicant.

Failure to submit two (2) recommendations will disqualify you from consideration into the JCPenney Leadership Program.

If you are selected to move on in the application process, you will be contacted by the Director to sign up for an interview time. 

• Not every applicant will be invited to interview. 
• Interview dress is business professional.
• Interviews are conducted with a panel of interviewers that consist of the Director of the JCPenney Leadership Program, a faculty or staff member, and a JCPenney associate who serves on the internal leadership team.

If you are admitted into the program:

• Successful applicants are REQUIRED to attend Candidate Associate Kick-Off after being accepted. This event is scheduled for Friday, October 2nd from 2-7pm.
• Fully inducted new associates are responsible for the $100.00 membership dues by November 15th, 2026; however, scholarships are available for students who need financial assistance.