Support SLU Scholarships

The minimum gift commitment to establish a new named endowed scholarship at SLU supporting undergraduate students is $50,000. For graduate/professional programs, the minimum commitment is $100,000.

The minimum commitment to create a new named term scholarship at SLU supporting undergraduate students is $10,000. The commitment to support a graduate/professional program is $25,000.

Named endowed scholarships exist in perpetuity and grow through the University’s endowment. Each year, SLU uses the income from the endowment to support deserving students based on the criteria set by the founding donor. Endowed scholarships have the most flexibility to be customized based on the donor’s wishes. They can be restricted based on school/college, major, geographic region, academic merit, financial need or a combination of those listed. 

Term scholarships are awarded based on the fund's balance and how much is contributed by the donor each year. Term scholarships have less flexibility to customize the recipient criteria and are typically limited to a school/college the donor wishes to support and financial need. 

Endowed scholarships become available to be awarded during the fiscal year that follows their establishment. The gift, however, will be entered into the University’s records immediately, and its value will be tracked separately. Income available for spending, in accordance with the endowment’s stated purpose, is calculated based on a spending rate approved annually by the University’s Board of Trustees. 

Term scholarships operate on a positive balance basis and are awardable based on the available balance at the time of award within the University’s standard cycle of operation. Term scholarships are distributed within the University’s annual award cycle.

In general, current undergraduate students at SLU with a home address within a club’s geographical limits are eligible to apply for a regional scholarship. Having a current FAFSA on file is required. Incoming freshmen are eligible so long as they have already committed to SLU and have a Banner ID.

• Financial need: Reviewers consider the percentage of an applicant’s educational costs contributed by their family and other factors affecting their finances, including work opportunities available during their SLU experience.
• Academic excellence: A 3.0 minimum grade point average is required to apply. The academic rigour of a student’s major is also taken into consideration.
• Dedication to SLU’s mission and values: Applicants are scored based on essay answers about their involvement at SLU and/or at St. Louis-based organizations, and how they plan to show their dedication to our Jesuit values post-graduation. 

SLU’s  regional scholarships are:

• Endowed: Each scholarship was endowed at $50,000 each and will always have award dollars available for current and future student awardees. The number of students awarded and their scholarship amounts will vary year by year. Award amounts per student range from $2,000 to $70,000 per year.
• Renewable: So long as a student awardee maintains their 3.0 minimum grade point average, they will receive the award annually from the time they are selected for the scholarship until undergraduate graduation.
• Stackable: Regional scholarships acknowledge that students from club cities don’t have the option of commuting from home. Unlike many scholarships, the funds are applicable to room and board costs as well as textbooks and other non-tuition fees.

Each regional scholarship was founded by a singular SLU graduate, a group of alumni or parents from its respective metropolitan area. Local members of the SLU community from each region continue to raise money for the scholarships today, raising the average award amount or the number of recipients from each area. Local alumni score applications to select each scholarship recipient. If you are a SLU graduate who would like to join your city’s scholarship selection committee, please email taylor.stalling@slu.edu.