Scholarships and Grants

Making Your Houghton Education Even More Affordable

Scholarships and grants make Houghton's already low tuition price even more affordable for all students. These are awarded to students based on academic achievement, leadership potential and financial need.

Note that the scholarships and grants listed below are subject to change year-to-year. Official awards are listed on the student's financial aid award letter.

Merit-Based Scholarships

Academic Scholarships

Award	Criteria	Amount
Highlander Academic Scholarship	3.5-4.0 GPA	$1,500
Provost Academic Scholarship	3.0-3.49 GPA	$1,000

Academic scholarship will be based on a student's unweighted GPA at the time of application review. Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 for the Provost Academic Scholarship and 3.25 for the Highlander Academic Scholarship.

James S. Luckey Scholarship

Candidates for Houghton's Honors program will be considered for one of eight scholarships totaling $16,000 ($4,000/year). Selection for these awards stems from Houghton’s Honors Interview process.

Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 to receive this academic merit award.

Scholarships

Founder's Promise Scholarship

The Founder's Promise Scholarship is awarded to Pell-eligible students to elevate their financial aid award to equal the cost of tuition. Houghton’s scholarships are backed by gifts from generous alumni and friends of the University who believe in your God-given potential and that Houghton will equip you to fulfill it.

View eligibility and scholarship details >

Donor-funded Scholarships (amounts vary)

Each student who is offered financial aid is given a fund titled “Donor-Funded Scholarship.” Consider this your “first award” as it will sustain your enrollment for at least your first two years. Upon taking such actions as enrolling, declaring a major, or meeting any other eligibility requirement, the general “Donor-Funded Scholarship” will be filled with the specific award (or awards) that will continue to add up to our initial investment in you and sustain the remainder of your time at Houghton.

Because alumni have set clear criteria for eligibility and we ask these questions on the application and elsewhere when you enroll and declare a major, there is no need to submit a separate application. Our Financial Aid Office will be diligently reviewing each student for Endowed Scholarships each semester.

An example of the types of category of Donor-Funded Scholarships are listed below:

Area-of-Residence Scholarships
Christian Service Scholarships
Ministry or Missions Scholarships
Music Scholarships
Scholarships for Demonstrated Financial Need
Scholarships for Business Majors
Education Scholarships
English Scholarships
Science and Math Scholarships
Special Category Scholarships

View a full list of donor-funded scholarships >

Matching Scholarships

Houghton University will match scholarships awarded to undergraduate main campus students by their local church. The gift must come from the church and not be funneled from the parents. The church must submit an award form to ensure a matching scholarship each year. Find the required form for the church match scholarship, with additional details, on our Applications and Forms page.

Wesleyan Scholarships

Wesleyan Grant

Students who actively engage in a church within The Wesleyan Church™ will receive a Wesleyan Grant. Excludes students who qualify for Music Presidential award or the James S. Luckey Scholarship.

Wesleyan Bible Bowl and Teens N' Talent

Students that are successful in Wesleyan Bible Bowl and Teens n’ Talent competition may be offered an award up-to-the cost of one years’ worth of tuition, disbursed over four years (8 semesters). Students must inform Student Financial Services of any Wesleyan Bible Bowl (WBB)/Teens N Talent (TNT) earnings when submitting their application for admission. In cases where the Student Financial Services Office is notified of WBB/TNT earnings after the initial aid package is sent, the overall package will be adjusted accordingly.

Grant and scholarship aid in total cannot exceed the published cost of tuition in a given semester. Recipients of Tuition Exchange or Employee Tuition Assistance Grant, or who qualify for Music Presidential award or the James S. Luckey Scholarship, will not also be eligible for these awards.

Music Scholarships

Presidential Scholarship

This $10,000 award is offered to one outstanding first-year undergraduate applicant based on merit and talent. Students who audition and complete the music application process on or before February 16th will be considered for this award.

The student selected for this award will not receive any other Houghton/Donor Funded awards (highlander or provost merit scholarships included).

Dean's Scholarship

This $6,000 award is offered to one outstanding first-year undergraduate applicant to the Greatbatch School of Music. Students who audition and complete the music application process on or before February 16th will be considered for this award.

The student selected for this award will not receive any other Houghton/Donor Funded awards (highlander or provost merit scholarships included).

Excellence Scholarship

This $2,000 per year award is offered to first-year undergraduate applicants to the Greatbatch School of Music. Students who audition and complete the music application process on or before February 16th will be considered for this award.

Ensemble Scholarship

This $1,000 per year award is offered to first-year undergraduate applicants that are non-music majors. Students will need to complete a video audition on or before February 1st to be considered for this award.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are available each year to graduate students in the Greatbatch School of Music. Generally, these positions are awarded to students within their major field of study or for services in which they hold special expertise. Graduate assistants may be offered full or partial tuition remission and up to $10,000 in stipend money, and have opportunity to gain experience in various performance, professorial support, staff and (where appropriate) teaching duties that support and supplement the work of the faculty of the Greatbatch School of Music.

Houghton University

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