First-year students who apply and are admitted for the fall 2018 semester are eligible for a merit-based, full tuition scholarship for the first time in decades.

The Sister Mary Glennon Scholarship will award six first-year students who have met rigorous academic criteria.

“The Sister Mary Glennon scholarship was created to honor students who are excelling academically. It is the first time in 20 years, Misericordia offered any full tuition scholarship,” said Donna Cerza, Director of Admissions.

Qualifying students must have a 1250 SAT or 26 ACT with a 3.7 GPA, or be in the top five percent of their graduating class.  Prospective students will be invited to campus in January to take for a tour, enjoy lunch and write an essay. A committee comprised of five faculty and administrators members will review assays, conduct interviews and  choose 12 scholarship recipients

Cerza said some variances are built into the selection process to enable a diverse group of students to be eligible – high schools’ levels of academic rigor, the acceptance of a variety of tests – ACT  SAT, ACT, GPA – and  class rankings.

The committee will hold interviews for the 12 finalist in February and offer the scholarship to the final six students. The scholarship is available to students who select majors in any of the three colleges – College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, and College of Health Sciences and Education. There will be at least one scholarship recipient per college.

The recipients will also be guaranteed acceptance into the Honor’s program, which is a competitive learning community in which students complete a sequence of advanced core curriculum courses in place of the standard core classes.

“We see that we are attracting academically strong students, and we believe this scholarship will help bring in academically strong students, which has been the institution’s goal,” said Cerza.

The scholarship was developed in honor of Sister Mary Glennon, Ed.D., RSM, who dedicated over 45 years of service to Misericordia. In 1957, she enrolled as an undergraduate and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a minor in English, history, and the Greek and Roman classics. She served as the university’s first Director of Continuing Education,  and then she became the longest serving academic dean.

“I think it is a good way to support what we look for in the student body of Misericordia, not only high achievement, but intellectual curiosity and this scholarship will give support and give an opportunity to someone who does not have means to further their education. Education is becoming a more valuable and pricier commodity,” said Matthew Hinton, Coordinator of Writing.

Hinton believes the Sister Mary Glennon Scholarship represents the Misericordia mission.

Current students think the scholarship will help elevate the university’s reputation.

“I think it would be a great addition, and hopefully it will expand. I think it would be great for the school and attractive to prospective students and definitely in favor of it,” said Liam Bradigan, junior government, law and national security major.

The scholarship has been in development for two months.