Each year the University of Sioux Falls awards Honors Scholarships to an outstanding group of first-time, full-time entering freshman students. These prestigious awards recognize students who have demonstrated academic achievement, leadership, involvement in activities, and spiritual commitment in high school. This year, qualified students will earn USF’s highest scholarships ranging from $34,000 to $75,700 over the next four years.

Incoming freshmen who score 27 or higher on the ACT (1210 or higher on the SAT) and possess a 3.2 high school cumulative GPA at the time of application are eligible to compete for USF’s highest academic awards. All students who successfully complete the required Honors application and interview with the Faculty Honors Committee will be considered for one of the following awards:

SCHOLARSHIPS

• NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST SCHOLARSHIP
  The National Merit Finalist Scholarship covers 100 percent of the comprehensive educational fee. Renewable for three years with a 3.5 CGPA, this scholarship awards $75,700 over the next four years. One National Merit Scholarship is awarded per year. (Transfer students are not eligible.)

• JOSEPH E. SALSBURY SCHOLARSHIP
  The Salsbury Scholarship is valued at $50,000 over four years. This scholarship is renewable for three years with a 3.2 CGPA. (Transfer students are not eligible.)

• TRUSTEE SCHOLARSHIP
  The Trustee Scholarship is valued at $42,000 over the next four years. This scholarship is renewable for three years with a 3.2 CGPA. (Transfer students are not eligible.)

• HAROLD W. & K. LORETTE LACKEY PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP
  The Presidential Scholarship is valued $34,000 over the next four years. This scholarship is renewable for three years with a 3.2 CGPA. (Transfer students are not eligible.)

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Any high school senior who has earned a 3.2 HS CGPA and scored 27 or higher on the ACT (1210 or higher on the SAT) is encouraged to apply for Honors Scholarships. Awards are based on the qualifying HS CGPA and ACT/SAT scores that have been achieved and submitted as of the 5:00 PM, January 15, 2009, application deadline.

Honors Scholarship applicants must complete and submit the following:

1. Apply to USF and be accepted as a full-time student

2. Honors Scholarship Application Form (click on the link for online pdf application)

3. Official 7th semester high school transcript (3.2 HS CGPA or higher)

4. Official ACT/SAT results (27 ACT/1210 SAT or higher)

5. List of courses to be completed during the applicant’s senior year

6. Résumé (a 1-2 page typed document demonstrating achievement, leadership, involvement, and community
service, attached to application)

7. Two letters of recommendation (one must be from an instructor)

8. Essay: Part One & Part Two (250 words each, typed, double-spaced, attached to application)

9. Successful completion of an on-campus interview (see below) on Saturday, February 21, 2009.

The application deadline for all scholarship requirements is 5:00 PM, January 15, 2009. A 27 ACT/1210 SAT and 3.2 HS CGPA qualifies a student to apply for the Honors Scholarship Program; however, no student is guaranteed a scholarship or specific scholarship. USF reserves the right to award scholarships in any of the categories to applicants based on academic achievement and successful completion of the application requirements and personal interview.

INTERVIEW DAY

All students who apply for Honors Scholarships are required to participate in on-campus interviews with the Faculty Honors Committee on Saturday, February 21, 2009. Interviews will be conversational in nature and may reference the applicant’s essay. (Telephone interviews may be offered to applicants residing 1,000 or more miles from Sioux Falls.)
Students are encouraged to dress professionally. Students and their parents will have the opportunity to meet current USF Honors students, visit with faculty in their major field of study, tour the USF campus, and attend a celebratory evening banquet. Scholarship awards will be announced by mail in early March.

MISSION & REQUIREMENTS

The USF Honors Program is designed to help exceptional students achieve exceptional results. Honors Scholars are encouraged to explore widely, think creatively and critically, study earnestly, live enthusiastically, serve sincerely, and engage wholeheartedly and with integrity the world of ideas, scholarship, culture, and service.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to receiving prestigious scholarship awards, Honors Scholars also become participants in the USF Honors Program. The Honors Program offers students many opportunities for exploration and enrichment. Recent activities have included a trip to the Nobel Conference in St. Peter, Minnesota, and performances at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls and USF’s Jeschke Fine Arts Center. Honors Scholars will also have opportunities:

• to attend conferences related to their fields of study
• to study in classes designed specifically for students with exceptional academic ability
• to learn about foreign and graduate study programs
• to apply for competitive national scholarships such as the Truman, Fulbright, Goldwater, and Rhodes scholarships

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Honors Scholars are invited and encouraged to participate in all of the events sponsored by the Honors Program. In addition to event attendance, Honors Scholars are required to successfully achieve/maintain the following requirements:

• Maintain full-time enrollment status

• Maintain a 3.2 CGPA

• Complete the USF Honors Seminar during the sophomore year

• Attend 6 Honors events each year. (If an Honors Scholar presents a paper at an Honors forum or a professional conference—that will count as two events, rather than one. Participation in one of the CCCU study abroad programs (or its equivalent), will be counted as 6 events.)

• To be eligible for the full scholarship award, Honors Scholars must live on-campus in USF housing and participate in the life of the campus community. (In exceptional cases, the residency requirement may be waived by the Honors Committee and a percentage of the scholarship will be forfeited.)

An Honors Scholar who does not meet the above requirements will lose his/her scholarship. An appeal process is in place that is available to all Honors Scholars.