College of Arts & Sciences

Scholarships

A scholarship is a gift given in recognition of academic achievement; special talents; or contribution to church, school, or community. There are several types of scholarships available at Bethel.

Bethel Scholarships

Academic Scholarships

Bethel awards academic scholarships based on academic merit or potential as signified by high school GPA, high school class rank, ACT or SAT score, and/or evidence of potential to make a significant contribution to the spiritual and social atmosphere at Bethel.

Amount categories:

	2009-2010 Awards
President's Scholarship	$10,000-$15,000/year
Dean's Scholarship	$5,000-$9,900/year
Faculty Scholarship	$2,000-$4,900/year

Eligibility: Academic scholarships may be received for up to four consecutive years by maintaining full-time status and making satisfactory academic progress.

Comments: Determination of the scholarship amount will be made by the Admissions Committee with information available at the time the student is accepted for admission to Bethel. If, after being admitted, a student's eligibility increases (because of a higher test score or an improved rank or GPA), the scholarship amount will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee based on a written request from the student. This request is the only appeal that will be considered for these awards. Requests for review must be received by the Office of Admissions before July 1.

Note: Students who were enrolled at Bethel before fall 2009 (continuing and readmitted students) will continue to receive scholarships under the policy in place when they first entered Bethel.

Royal Scholarship

Amount: Up to $2,000 per year

Eligibility: A legacy scholarship awarded to students with family member(s) who have previously attended Bethel University. 
Comments: Renewable. Must be enrolled full time. Not need-based.

Bethel National Merit Scholarship

Amount: $1,000 to $2,000 per year.
Eligibility: National Merit Scholarship Finalists who list Bethel as their first-choice school and are not awarded another form of the National Merit Scholarship.
Comments: Renewable. At least three awarded each year. Apply through National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Not need-based.

Departmental Scholarships (Special Awards)

Amount: Up to $6,000 per year.
Eligibility: Current Bethel students upon the recommendation of Bethel faculty members.
Comments: Both need-based and merit scholarships are available. Must apply online by February 10 deadline. (Online application available November 23-February 10 only.) Awarded in spring for the coming academic year.

Ministerial Scholarship

Amount: $1,000 or $1,200 per year.
Eligibility: Dependent children of full-time ordained ministers or missionaries of Converge Worldwide (formerly the BGC) qualify for $1,200; those of other denominations qualify for $1,000.
Comments: Student must be full time and maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA. Renewable. Not need-based.

Partnership Scholarship

Amount: Up to $1,000 per year ($500 per semester).
Eligibility: Dollar-for-dollar match of a church scholarship. The church must submit an agreement form and funds to Bethel by August 1.
Comments: Students must be full time and meet other requirements. See Partnership Program webpage. Not need-based.

Performance Scholarships

Amount: $750 to $4,000 per year.
Eligibility: Available by audition to full-time music, theatre, art, or communication studies (forensics) students who maintain a cumulative 2.50 GPA.
Comments: Renewable. Visit the Performance webpage for application criteria, deadlines, and audition information. Not need-based.

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

Amount: $1,000 per year.
Eligibility: Merit-based scholarship awarded to transfer students with a minimum cumulative college GPA of 3.00 and previous membership in Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society for at least one term. Students with Edgren Scholarships or baccalaureate degrees are not eligible.
Comments: Renewable with 3.00 cumulative GPA. Must be full time and in good standing. Not need-based.

Travel Scholarship

Amount: Up to $1,200 per year.
Eligibility: Full-time, dependent students from U.S. or Canada (excluding Minnesota and western Wisconsin)
Comments: Amount varies based on location. Scholarship is credited to tuition. Renewable. Not need-based.

Minnesota Scholarships

Achieve Scholarship Program

Amount: One-time $1,200-$4,000 scholarship.
Eligibility: Minnesota residents who graduated from high school after January 1, 2009, completed a rigorous high school program, are eligible for either a Federal Pell Grant or Minnesota State Grant, and are enrolled for a minimum of 15 credits. See the Minnesota Office of Higher Education Achieve Scholarship Program webpage for more detailed information regarding this grant.
Comments: To apply, complete the FAFSA and submit the Achieve Scholarship application to the Office of Higher Education along with an official high school transcript.  The deadline to apply is 30 days after the term starts.

Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program

Amount: Up to $4,000 per year for undergraduate students.
Eligibility: Minnesota residents who are of one-fourth or more Indian ancestry and demonstrate financial need. See the Minnesota Office of Higher Education Minnesota Indian Scholarship webpage for more detailed information regarding this scholarship.
Comments: To apply, complete the FAFSA and submit the Minnesota Indian Scholarship Program Application to the Office of Higher Education.

Outside Scholarships and Awards

Financial aid is also available from various outside sources. You may want to explore these possibilities through your local high school, employer, church, veterans or professional organizations, fraternal orders, ethnic heritage groups, and other local or state agencies. Your high school guidance officer is a good source of information about most local awards. You can also visit our Helpful Links webpage for possible sources of additional aid. Financial assistance received from outside sources must be reported to the Office of University Financial Aid.