Financial Aid
Fall 2013 Scholarship Program
IMPORTANT DATES
November 15
Application deadline for Brown Scholar and Dixon Scholar Award consideration.
February 1
Priority application deadline for all other scholarships. Personal interview deadline for Brown (required) and Dixon (required) scholarships.
March 1
Deadline for any new information pertaining to scholarship consideration (improved class rank or standardized testing results, for example).
Competitive Awards
Brown Scholar Awards
Full Tuition (Application Deadline: November 15; Interview Deadline: February 1)
The Brown Scholarship is Southwestern’s most prestigious and competitive award. Candidates must rank minimally in the top 5% of their high school class (or if high school does not rank, have the equivalent of a 3.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale). In addition, students must score at least a 1400 on the SAT (CR+M) or 31 on the ACT. A personal interview with a member of the admission staff is required to be considered. Interviews must be conducted by Feburary 1, 2013. Finalists will be invited to campus for a competitive interview with the Brown Scholar selection committee on March 3 & 4, 2013.
Bishop Ernest T. Dixon, Jr. Scholarship
up to $30,000 per year (Application Deadline: November 15; Interview Deadline: February 1)
The Texas Methodist Foundation, in partnership with Southwestern, administers a competitive scholarship program to benefit high-achieving African-American, Hispanic and Native American students. Applicants must rank minimally in the top 10% of their high school class (or if high school does not rank, have the equivalent of a 3.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale). There is no testing minimum. A personal interview with a member of the admission staff is required to be considered. Interviews must be conducted by Feburary 1, 2013. Partial awards may be available for those students not receiving the full award.
Merit Scholarship Program
Factors considered for scholarship review: Rigor of high school academic curriculum, i.e., AP, IB or dual credit coursework, and course credit earned in the areas of English, mathematics, lab science, social science/history and foreign languages; Participation and demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities; strength and depth of writing samples; SAT and/or ACT scores (students may take the highest combination of their critical reading and math scores from separate test dates when calculating SAT scores); legacy connections; achievement/recognition in national programs.
Cody, Mood, & Ruter Scholarships
$16,000 to $27,000 per year (Application Deadline: February 1)
Southwestern offers scholarships to applicants with strong academic preparation/backgrounds, sustained achievement, well-rounded extracurricular profiles and outstanding personal qualities. The competitiveness of each student’s overall application is also taken into consideration. These are four-year scholarships provided the student meets minimum academic progress and GPA requirements.
Pirate Awards
Up to $15,000 per year (Application Deadline: February 1)
Students not meeting the requirements for Brown, Cody, Mood or Ruter Scholarships may be considered for a Pirate Award. Southwestern makes these awards available to academically promising applicants with wide-ranging extracurricular pursuits and outstanding personal qualities. These are four-year scholarships provided the student meets minimum academic progress and GPA requirements.
Other Scholarship & Grant Programs
Beneficiary Grants
$6,000 per year
As a United Methodist-related institution, Southwestern has restricted funds to assist dependents of United Methodist clergy. Candidates for this grant must submit a Beneficiary Grant Application by February 1, 2012. Contact the Office of Admission for application information.
National Merit Scholar Recognition
$2,000 per year
Southwestern sponsors merit awards for named scholars in the National Merit Scholarship program. Students must name Southwestern as their first choice university by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s published deadline date.
Southwestern Grants
Amounts Vary
Awarded by Southwestern to students demonstrating financial need, Southwestern Grant funding is made possible by generous gifts from alumni and friends. Consideration for a Southwestern Grant requires completion and submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as possible after January 1, but no later than March 1. FAFSA information can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The Southwestern University code is 003620.
Fine Arts Scholarship Awards
Music, Theatre and Art Scholarships
Up To $12,000 per year
Students choosing to major in the fine arts are eligible for scholarships in vocal and instrumental music, theatre (acting and design) or studio art. Performance awards in music are available for non-majors. Awards are renewable annually for up to eight semesters. Auditions, interviews or portfolio reviews are required.
More here.
General Information
This scholarship program is intended for first-year students. Southwestern’s transfer student scholarship program can be found here.
All admitted students are automatically considered for all applicable scholarship programs. All scholarships are awarded regardless of financial need and are renewable annually for up to eight semesters if a minimum GPA, as stated in the award letter, is maintained. When demonstrated financial need is greater than the academic scholarship value, the scholarship will become part of the overall need-based award. Students may take the highest combination of their critical reading and math scores from separate test dates when calculating SAT scores. When an official class rank is provided by the high school, it will be used to determine scholarship eligibility regardless of grade point average. When a high school has a no-rank policy, other factors will be used to determine scholarship eligibility including, but not limited to, grade distribution information for that specific school and/or grade point averages. In all cases, Southwestern reserves the right to recalculate a student’s eligibility for merit scholarships using a consistent, uniform, internal calculation that may exclude non-academic coursework. When the high school ranks specific segments of their graduating class - such as only ranking the top 10 percent - it will be assumed that an unranked student does not fall into that category for merit consideration regardless of grade point average. A student may receive more than one scholarship or grant. With the exception of the Brown Scholar Award, Southwestern merit scholarships and grants cannot exceed tuition without the student first establishing financial need.
Southwestern University Stacking Policy
The total amount of Southwestern University-funded merit or need-based scholarships, awards, and/or grants awarded to a student will not exceed the cost of tuition. Institutional need-based grants are subject to adjustment or replacement to accommodate the addition or increase of other Southwestern-funded award(s), up to the cost of tuition.
Availability of Funds Disclosure
Any and all Southwestern-funded scholarships and/or need-based aid is awarded based on the availability of funds. It is advisable to apply well in advance of posted deadlines.
NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Statement
Southwestern adheres to all NCAA Division III policies, regulations, and guidelines that prohibit the awarding of merit scholarships and financial assistance to student-athletes on the basis of athletic participation or performance. All student-athletes will be evaluated under the same programs and procedures as the general student body in all merit scholarship and financial assistance reviews.
Statement Of Nondiscrimination
Southwestern University’s recruiting of students, awarding of financial aid, and operation of programs and facilities are without regard to sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, or any other impermissible factor. Southwestern University’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
