Scholarships
The Ruffin Humanities Scholarship
Renewable for four years, the Ruffin Humanities Scholarship carries an award equivalent to (in state or out of state) tuition, mandatory fees, and a textbook allowance. The scholarship is awarded at Southern Scholars' Showcase or Scholars' Day. It is awarded in addition to other scholarships.
Established by the late Dr. David A. Ruffin, the Ruffin Humanities Scholarship seeks to reward excellent students who have an interest in the humanities. Candidates for the scholarship must display an outstanding academic and extracurricular record of achievement and be of exemplary personal character.
To be considered for the Ruffin Humanities Scholarship, you must:
- Have formally declared a humanities major: a foreign language, history, literature, philosophy, or writing. Students who change their majors from one of these areas will lose their eligibility for the Ruffin Scholarship.
- Have undergraduate status (i.e., the student is entering, continuing, or transferring into a baccalaureate program).
- Have a minimum 3.0 high school academic average or a 3.0 college cumulative grade point average.
- Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 throughout the award period. Eligibility for continuation will be verified at the end of each fall and spring semester.
- Complete an application form. See the Admissions web site for guidelines and deadlines.
- Solicit two letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to your academic and extracurricular achievements and character, as well as to your collegiate and professional potential. (Letters from family or friends are generally seen to be of little value.) Letters should be given to you in a sealed envelope in time for you to submit them with your application.
- Scholarships are competitive, and preference will be given to applicants with GPAs that exceed the minimum and/or SAT scores of 1300 or greater (ACT scores 29 or greater).
Application Procedure
Scholarship competition occurs once a year during the December Southern Scholar's Showcase event. You must complete the general application for scholarships to be considered for the Ruffin.
See the Office of Admissions web site for application deadlines and procedures.