Outstanding Scholar / Government Jobs / Civil
Service Jobs
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Update: It does not appear possible for agencies to
use the Outstanding Scholar or the Bilingual/Bicultural hiring authorities and
also comply with the veterans' preference provisions in title 5 as the MSPB now
requires. Accordingly, OPM believes that agencies should discontinue their use
of these special hiring authorities. Review the
OPM
memorandum for additional information.
The Outstanding Scholar Program is used to appoint those college
graduates from accredited schools who obtained a grade point average of 3.5 or
higher on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate courses completed toward a
baccalaureate degree. It was also used to appoint those who stand in the upper
10% of a baccalaureate graduating class, or of a major university subdivision
such as a College of Arts and Sciences. Appointments under the program could be
made without going through an examination procedure for jobs at grades GS-5 and
GS-7 in covered occupations.
Announcing Vacancies. Prior to making appointments under the program, an
agency was required to advertise positions, including posting them through OPM's
job information system. Visit Student Jobs in the
Federal Government, and Employment Options for
additional information. There were three basic reasons why the positions must
be announced:
- By law, the principle of merit principle requires fair and open
competition, which in turn requires public notice of vacancies so all who
are eligible may apply [5 U.S.C. 2301];
- Another law requires agencies to report to OPM and to the United States
Employment Service of the Department of Labor, each vacant position in the
agency which is in the competitive service or the Senior Executive Service
and for which the agency seeks applications from persons outside the Federal
service [5 U.S.C. 3327]; and
- The regulation establishing the Interagency Career Transition Assistance
Plan (ICTAP) for Displaced Employees requires agencies to report all
vacancies to OPM when accepting applications from outside the agency
(including applications for temporary positions lasting 120 or more days)[5
CFR 330.705]. Applicants who met the ICTAP requirements had to be selected
before Outstanding Scholars. [See also, Relationship to Competitive
Examining, above.]
Timing of Appointments. Outstanding Scholars could
not be appointed until they had actually become "college graduates." They could
, however, be given conditional offers pending graduation. Although Outstanding
Scholar candidates do not have to appear on a certificate, their consideration
had to be concurrent with the priority consideration of displaced employees
eligible for ICTAP selection (see above). The Outstanding Scholar selection and
offer needed to be made within 90 days from the time a certificate was returned
to the agency personnel office, based on an announcement open to ICTAP
candidates. If a selection had not been made within those 90 days, the agency
was required to readvertise the vacancy.
After the selection, the candidate should be appointed to the position within
a reasonable amount of time. To accommodate special situations, however, such as
the completion of education, a geographical move, obligations to current
employers, temporary agency hiring restrictions, and the processing of security
clearances, an agency could delay appointment up to six months from the date of
selection. If an agency exceeded six months, it was required to readvertise the
vacancy. Requests for extensions beyond six months were entertained by OPM on a
case by case basis. The decree set no time limit after graduation for
Outstanding Scholar eligibility, nor did it set a limit on the number of times
an individual could receive Outstanding Scholar appointments.
Grade point average. The decree prevented the use
of graduate grades in calculating grade point averages (GPAs). It also required
using grades received in all undergraduate courses leading to the degree. This
included courses from all undergraduate schools attended, not just courses taken
at the school providing the degree. That requirement also meant that the
candidate had the 3.5 GPA at the time of graduation; any conditional offers made
prior to graduation had to be rescinded if the GPA was not maintained. Since the
grade point average had to be calculated on a 4.0 scale, agencies also needed to
adjust GPAs that were based on a scale that allowed a 4.5 (A+) grade.
Class Standing. The decree was specific in limiting
to the upper 10% of a graduating class, or of a major university subdivision,
eligibility based on class standing. A major university subdivision was a
college or school and was not merely a department or program of study. For class
standing to be used, it had to be determined formally by the college, school, or
university.
Relationship to Qualification Standards. To be
selected through this program, a candidate has to meet both the eligibility
requirements for the Outstanding Scholar program and the qualification standards
for the position. Basic qualifications are described in OPM's Operating Manual,
Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions. Agencies may add their
own job-related requirements. The manual describes such things as the
requirement that education be from accredited colleges and universities and the
established procedure of rounding GPAs to the nearest tenth of a percent (i.e.,
3.45 rounded to 3.5). The manual also describes the requirements for the
Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) provision. The S.A.A. designation is
solely grade-determining. It establishes eligibility to appoint at the GS-7
level instead of at GS-5, but does not in itself provide an appointment
opportunity.
Direct hire. Although the decree used the term
"direct hire," the decree essentially provided for a noncompetitive appointment
to the competitive service. Rating and ranking were not required, so neither the
"rule of three" nor veterans' preference applied. There were requirements,
however, that the positions be announced, that displaced employees be given
preference, and that the program only be used as a supplement to competitive
examining.
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