Bluffton University

Presidential Scholarship Competition

High-achieving high school students will be invited to campus on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, to compete for a

Full-Tuition Presidential Scholarship

Only the first 80 people to register are eligible to compete for the full-tuition scholarship. 

This scholarship is valued at more than $142,000 through the four years of undergraduate education at Bluffton. Participants receive a $1,000 annual scholarship just for participating in the Presidential Scholarship Competition.   

The Presidential Scholarship covers up to full tuition at Bluffton University but does not cover tuition at our partner schools for select majors. 

To be eligible for the scholarship competition, participants must meet the following requirements:

• Have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and score a minimum 24 ACT/1160 composite score
  • OR a GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale (no test score required)
• Register for the competition. Registration will open in fall 2025.
• Applied and accepted to Bluffton University

All eligible students are welcome to participate in this competition.

Competition format

• Participating students prepare for the competition by completing an assigned reading that is chosen by the faculty lecturer for the competition.
• Once on campus for the competition, students will attend a 45-minute presentation from the Presidential Scholarship Lecturer. Students are encouraged to take notes during this lecture.
• After the lecture, participants will have approximately 90 minutes to write an essay in response to a question provided on the topics of both the reading and the lecture. Students may use the assigned reading and notes taken during the lecture as reference when writing their essay.
  
  

Choosing a winner

The Presidential Scholarship Competition winner is chosen based on 3 criteria:

• Essay scored by two Bluffton University faculty members
• GPA
• ACT/SAT (if available)

Remember, all students that participate in the competition will receive an additional $1,000 annual scholarship to Bluffton. This is a total of $4,000 over four years.