Scholarships, Grants and Loans

• Warrior Way Scholarship - $19,500 per year
  Servant Leadership continues to be at Sterling College’s core. The Warrior Way Scholarship is intended to reward students of academic excellence while allowing them to grow in an environment that will nurture a servant leadership lifestyle.

  Students who meet the requirements of the Warrior Way Scholarship will receive a $19,500 scholarship per year ($78,000 for 4 years). The Warrior Way Scholarship replaces all other academic and activity scholarships. The Honors Scholarship, Legacy Scholarship, and Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarship are additional scholarships that Warrior Way recipients may receive.

  Click here for more information about the Warrior Way Scholarship or click the Request Info button below. One of our enrollment counselors would be glad to visit with you about this scholarship. 

• Transfer High Academic Scholarship - $18,500 per year
  Transfer students with a GPA of 3.5 or above and a minimum of 24 credits will receive this scholarship which replaces other academic and activity scholarships. (Honors, Legacy, and Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarships may be awarded in addition to Transfer High Academic Scholarship.)
   
• Honors Program Scholarship - $2,000 per year
  The Honors Program builds on the heart of Sterling College’s liberal arts roots to encourage students thoughtfully to consider how to live their lives with purpose both in the present and in the future. The Program aims to widen students’ view of the world and their purpose, especially the stewardship of their academic and intellectual gifts, and to allow themselves to be shaped by new ideas, experiences, challenges, and service. Honors Program students will take courses and participate in activities that are specifically designed to guide them through a process of growth during their time at Sterling College.

  Students who apply and are accepted to the Honors Program will receive an additional $2000 per year in scholarship funds as long as they are meeting the requirements of the program.

  Click here to learn more about the Honors Program.

We also offer students an activity scholarship based on interest and participation in activities which include Athletics, Fine and Performing Arts and Worship Teams. 

For additional information on individual activity scholarships you can click the Request Info button below and a coach or activities director will be glad to have a personal visit with you!

• Heart of Kansas - $17,750 per year
  The Heart of Kansas Scholarship is a $71,000 undergraduate scholarship that can be awarded to any student graduating from a Kansas high school or home school in the heart of Kansas along with any student (regardless of home state) who transfers from a Kansas community college located in the heart of Kansas:
   
  • Eligible counties:
    • Rice county
    • Reno county
    • Ellsworth county
    • Barton county
    • McPherson county
    • Stafford county
       
  • Eligible Community Colleges:
    • Barton County Community College
    • Hutchinson Community College

The scholarship is guaranteed for $17,750 per year for up to four years as long as the student remains in good standing with the College. This is a stand-alone scholarship and students will not be eligible for an academic or activity scholarship on top of the Heart of Kansas Scholarship. Honors, Legacy or Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarships may be available to stack on the Heart of Kansas Scholarship.

• Sunflower Scholarship - $16,750 per year
  The Sunflower Scholarship is a $67,000 undergraduate scholarship that can be awarded to any student graduating from the following areas: 
  • A Kansas high school or home school, or
  • Anyone who transfers to Sterling College from a Kansas Community College, or 
  • any resident of Kansas overall

The scholarship is guaranteed for $16,750 per year for up to four years as long as the student remains in good standing with the College. This is a stand-alone scholarship and students will not be eligible for an academic or activity scholarship on top of the Sunflower Scholarship. Honors, Legacy, or Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarships may be available to stack on the Sunflower Scholarship.

• Sterling College Legacy Award - $1000 per year
  The Sterling College Legacy Award is awarded to children and grandchildren of Sterling College alumni. Students must identify themselves as legacy students when filling out the admissions application. Other activity scholarships may be available in addition to the Legacy Award.  
   
• Room Grant - $2500 Freshman year only
  ​Room Grants are awarded to outstanding academic students who meet the following criteria:
  • Incoming Freshman
  • Must live on campus
  • 3.5 GPA or higher
  • 28 or higher ACT (or equivalent SAT/Accuplacer)

There are a limited number of spaces and students must deposit to secure the grant.

• Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarship - $1000 per year
  Sterling College has rich Presbyterian roots and enjoys a current strategic partnership with the Great Plains Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarship is awarded to any student who regularly attends an Evangelical Presbyterian Church, regardless of which Presbytery. Students must identify themselves as attenders of an Evangelical Presbyterian Church when filling out the admissions application. Other activity or academic scholarship may be available in addition to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church Scholarship. To find out more about the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, click here.

• Federal PELL Grant - up to $7395 per year
  The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant program offered to undergraduates and is designed to assist students from low-income households. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid, except under certain circumstances. To qualify for a Pell Grant, a student must demonstrate financial need through the Free Application for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA®) form.
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) - up to $1750 per year
  The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a grant that is awarded to an undergraduate student who demonstrates exceptional financial need to help pay for their education. Awards can range from $100–$4,000 and do not need to be repaid.
   
• Federal Teach Grant - up to $4000 per year
  For undergraduate, post baccalaureate, or graduate students who are enrolled in programs designed to prepare them to teach in a high-need field at the elementary or secondary school level. You must agree to serve for a minimum of four years (within eight years of completing or ceasing enrollment in the program for which the student received the grant funds) as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a school or educational service agency that serves low-income students. You must attend a participating school and meet certain academic achievement requirements. Failure to complete the teaching service commitment will result in the grant being converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan that must be repaid.
   
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant - up to $6495 per year
  ​Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants provide money to college or career school students to help pay their education expenses. However, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants have special eligibility criteria.
  • you are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution but
  • meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and
  • your parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, and
  • you were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent’s or guardian’s death.

For more information regarding federal grants, visit their website.

• Kansas Comprehensive Grant - up to $3500
  The Kansas Comprehensive Grant (KCG) is available to needy Kansas residents enrolled full-time at eighteen private colleges and universities located in Kansas, the six state universities, and Washburn University. This grant is funded by the state of Kansas. The Kansas Legislature provides limited assistance to financially needy students. To be considered you must complete and submit the FAFSA, listing one or more eligible colleges in the FAFSA. Students are eligible to receive KCG for a total of 8 semesters.
  • Criteria to be eligible for KCG at Sterling College:
    1. Kansas Resident
    2. GPA of 2.0 or higher
    3. EFC up to $18,000
    4. FAFSA completed on or before April 1st
    5. Priority deadline for Sterling College is March 1st

• Kansas Military Service Scholarship
  The Kansas Military Service Scholarship is available for the payment of tuition and fees at a public Kansas institution for students who are a resident of Kansas and has:
  • served in military service in international waters or on foreign soil in support of military operations for which the person received hostile fire pay for at least 90 days after September 11, 2001, or served less than such 90 days because of injuries during such military service;
  • has received an honorable discharge or under honorable conditions (general) discharge from military service or is still in military service; and
  • has provided copies of military discharge papers (DD-214 form) or active duty orders whichever such paper or order indicate the location of such person’s deployment and indicate the person has served after September 11, 2001, in any military operation for which the person received hostile fire pay.

Because financial need is a priority in awarding this scholarship, students will need to file a FAFSA form. Once your school considers you as a graduate status student, you are not eligible for this scholarship.

Priority Deadline to submit application to KBOR: May 1.

• Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance
  The Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance provides a percentage of tuition and fees paid; up to a maximum rate not to exceed the maximum rate that would be charged by the state educational institutions for enrollment.  The percentage is determined by the number of eligible students and available appropriations. Students may be pursuing a certificate, diploma or degree program and must be an enlisted member of a Kansas Air/Army National Guard unit. Full-time enrollment not required. Students must have a GED or high school diploma to qualify for this assistance. The member must not already have obtained a bachelor’s degree.

Fall 21 semester deadline - August 31, 2021 and Spring 2022 semester deadline - January 31, 2022

• Kansas State Scholarship
  The Kansas State Scholarship is designed to assist financially needy students in the top 20-30% of Kansas high school graduates who are designated as state scholars during the senior year of high school.  To be eligible to apply for the Kansas State Scholarship, in the senior year of a Kansas high school you would have:
  • received a certificate stating that you completed the required curriculum
    AND
  • received a letter stating that you were designated by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Priority Deadline to submit application to KBOR: June 1.  **Note: the priority date has been changed to June 1st**
 

• Kansas Teacher Service Scholarship
  The Kansas Teacher Service Scholarship is a merit-based service obligation scholarship program that provides financial assistance to both students pursuing bachelor's degree programs and currently licensed teachers pursuing an endorsement in hard-to-fill disciplines or master's degrees in hard-to-fill disciplines or either group planning to teach in an underserved geographic area. Recipients sign agreements to teach one year for each year of scholarship support in Kansas. Recipients are eligible to receive this scholarship for up to ten semesters, which includes both undergraduate and graduate work.  

Priority Deadline to submit application to KBOR: May 1.

For more information on Kansas Board of Regents Scholarships, visit their website.

When you receive a student loan, you are borrowing money to attend a college or career school. You must repay the loan as well as interest that accrues. It is important to understand your repayment options so you can successfully repay your loan. The amount of money you can borrow in federal student loans depends on your student status. If you are an undergraduate, the maximum amount of Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans you can borrow each academic year is between $5,500 and $12,500, depending on your year in school and your dependency status (whether you are a dependent or independent student).

• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan:
  A loan based on financial need for which the federal government pays the interest that accrues while the borrower is in an in-school, grace, or deferment status. For Direct Subsidized Loans first disbursed between July 1, 2012, and July 1, 2014, the borrower will be responsible for paying any interest that accrues during the grace period. If the interest is not paid during the grace period, the interest will be added to the loan's principal balance.
   
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan:
  A loan for which the borrower is fully responsible for paying the interest regardless of the loan status. Interest on unsubsidized loans accrues from the date of disbursement and continues throughout the life of the loan. 

For more information regarding federal loans, visit their website.

Not all private student loans are created the same. Compare the details of different loan products to ensure you apply for the best loan for you.

Private student loans can play an important role in financing your education, but you want to apply for the one that is best for you. Look at how much a loan will cost you over time, as well as the options you will have when it comes time for repayment.

Interest rates can vary greatly, and can be influenced by your credit history. Lenders usually offer a choice between fixed interest rates and variable interest rates. Most students will require a cosigner for alternative loans. 

For more information regarding alternative loans, visit this website.

Federal Work-Study provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need. The program encourages community service work and work related to your field of study. To receive funds, you will need to be awarded work study and secure a job. The maximum a student can earn for the year at Sterling College in work study funds is $1500.

Direct PLUS Loans for parents are unsubsidized loans made to parents of dependent undergraduate students. If a student’s parents cannot get a parent PLUS loan, the student may be eligible to receive additional unsubsidized loans.

• U.S. Department of Higher Education
• FastWEB Scholarship Search
• FinAid.org
• Loan History
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Teacher Loan Forgiveness
• Borrowers Right and Responsibilities
• Student Loan Code of Conduct
• Veterans Benefits