Academic All-American Awards

Congratulations to all of this years Academic All-American Award recipients and Scholarship recipients. We are so proud of the achievements of all the student athletes in our branch and across the US who continually strive for excellence.

The USA Irish Dance Alliance (USA IDA) offers the Academic All-American Awards to honor dancers who excel both academically and in their dance pursuits. The Awards are available to students in grades 5 through college seniors. To qualify, dancers must maintain an academic average of 90 or higher (or a 3.5 GPA for college students) or provide proof of meeting academic goals.

Dancers may qualify for the award through one of two distinct pathways:

1. Academic Achievement: A GPA of 90 or higher, along with participation in the required number of feiseanna.

2. Individualized Education Plan (IEP/504 Plan): Evidence of meeting all academic goals as outlined in a 504 Plan or IEP, supported by a letter from a counselor, case manager, or principal, in addition to participation in the required number of

Dancers  must have also competed in a minimum number of USA IDA branch feiseanna to be considered competitive: 

• minimum 2 for grades level and college dancers 

• minimum 3 for pre-open and open

Dancers who meet the criteria through either pathway noted above are eligible to receive the Academic All-American Award for that year. Dancers from the USA IDA Branch may also apply for an age category scholarship, which requires submission of an essay. 

To ensure privacy and fairness, only the dancer, their family, and one branch teacher reviewing the submissions will know which pathway was used to demonstrate academic achievement.

In addition to award certificates, the USA IDA offers five scholarships across various educational levels. Applicants for these scholarships must meet the eligibility criteria and submit an essay. Essays are reviewed by a panel of academics and educators based on factors such as addressing the prompt, originality, clarity, flow, spelling, and grammar.