To Secure a School Charter

To be eligible for a Quill and Scroll school charter, your high school must publish a magazine, newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, broadcast program or a website. Also eligible are schools with students who contribute to professional media.

In 2020, the Quill and Scroll board also made it possible for non-school organizations to receive a charter. Local newspapers, international organizations that sponsor student journalism and scholarly organizations are welcome to apply. Eye on Ivy, a Pakistani organization that counsels students during their college application and preparation processes, received the first non-school charter later in 2020.

A Quill and Scroll charter is granted for the lifetime of the school or organization, and there are no annual dues.

When a charter is granted, all of the school’s media advisers automatically become members of Quill and Scroll and may recommend students for induction into the honor society. Student members from all school media may form a Quill and Scroll chapter on campus to conduct service activities and engage in scholastic journalism development programming. Only charter member schools may submit student names for nomination as Quill and Scroll members and several activities are limited to chartered schools only. A copy of the Quill and Scroll Chapter Manual can be viewed online.

Want to check your school’s charter status? Click here for access to a list of our member schools organized by state. Once you establish a charter with Quill and Scroll, you can begin a chapter at your school. A list of chapter activities with more information can be found here.

Schools may apply for a charter using one of our online forms — one will process credit card payments while the other allows for either check or purchase order use. When using this online option, you do not need to send in the paper form. Please note the inaugural student in an email to [email protected] Schools may also opt to use the paper form if preferred. Download and save to your desktop a school membership application. This PDF is fill-able when opened with Adobe Acrobat.

Mail applications and payment to:  Quill and Scroll Honor Society, NSPA, 2829 University Ave. SE, Suite 720, Minneapolis, MN 55414.  For more information, you may call 612-200-9254 or email [email protected].