Saint Louis University’s Catholic High School Award of $4,000 annually for freshman applicants from a Catholic high school now can be combined with other merit-based scholarships.

The scholarship recognizes students from Catholic high schools for their continued commitment to Catholic education. It is renewable over eight consecutive semesters to students who maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.

A Jesuit High School Award offering an additional $1,000 recognizes students from Jesuit high schools for their continued commitment to Jesuit education. It also may be combined with other merit-based scholarships.

Kyle Compton, a senior at Duchesne High School in St. Charles who is leaning toward a major in accounting or business, applied to four universities, including SLU, and is awaiting word on financial aid and scholarships he’ll receive. “Everything counts and helps offset the overall cost of going to SLU for what I know will be a top-notch education,” he said.

Compton appreciates the Catholic background of SLU, the option of spending a semester at its campus in Madrid and its emphasis on service. He has more than 300 service hours through Duchesne. His grandfather, who died three years ago, was a SLU grad who wore his class ring with pride. “I’ve always wanted to be a Billiken,” and the extra funding could make it more realistic, Compton said.

Another Duchesne student, Dianne Nieto Cid, applied to SLU for its four-year nursing program. Without the right financial package, she said, she would have to attend a less-expensive two-year program and then transfer to finish her bachelor’s degree. “The only thing that is pushing me back is the cost of it,” she said. “The $4,000 could really help in the decision to go there or not.”

Saint Louis University offers undergraduate scholarships that recognize, among other areas, academic accomplishment, service involvement and leadership capability. Depending on a student’s major, there may be additional scholarship opportunities offered by a program or department.

Programs also offer assistance based on financial need, diversity, multiple sibling enrollment and aptitude and performance (athletics, the arts, etc.). The tuition for undergraduates is $43,160. However, 97 percent of first-time freshmen received aid. Forty-four percent of SLU’s 2018 undergraduate class completed their education without student debt.

Jean Marie Cox, assistant vice president of enrollment and dean of admissions at SLU, said “we value Catholic education, and we hope that it can be a continuous pipeline. So when a student comes in with a merit scholarship, we wanted to enhance that and have an award that went on top of that.”

Cari Wickliffe, assistant vice president of enrollment and retention and director of student financial services, said the university wants to attract and support Catholic high school students. The change to allow the award to be used with other scholarships was needed, Wickliffe said.

Of the students enrolled at SLU, 26 percent are from the greater St. Louis area.

Catholic students find the 9 p.m. Sunday Mass at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church on campus a highlight, Cox said. An average of 800 students attend each week. Mass and prayer are offered in residence halls across campus also. About 50 Jesuits teach, study and minister at SLU.

Campus ministry at SLU has a variety of offerings, including service work. “It really unites our student body,” said Cox, who attends a parish in southern Illinois. Campus ministry each year has more than 450 people participate in 10 retreats and five days of reflection. It also sponsors mission trips.

The Catholic Studies program at SLU is known nationally, Cox added.

Students also are exposed to all religious traditions so they are equipped to live in diverse communities and work with people of all religions, she said.

>> Fontbonne recognition award

Fontbonne University, a Catholic co-educational institution of higher learning sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet with more than 40 majors, also offers an incentive to Catholic high school students continuing their studies at a Catholic university.

Graduates of a Catholic high school are automatically eligible for the Catholic High School Recognition Award of $2,000 per academic year toward tuition, providing applicants qualify for an additional merit scholarship. Eligible students are first-year, first-time students who have graduated from a Catholic high school; have been awarded a merit-based scholarship from Fontbonne University; and enroll and maintain status as a full-time student.

SLU facts

• 12,649 students from all 50 U.S. states and 78 countries

• 2018 freshman class: 15,212 applications, 1,511 enrolled, 25-31 typical ACT score range, 3.91 average high school GPA; 10.3 percent would be the first in their families to complete a college degree

• 89 undergraduate majors and 82 graduate disciplines.

• Guided by the spiritual and intellectual ideals of the Society of Jesus.

• $173 million available in institutional aid and $140 million in federal aid awarded to SLU students

• Mission: The pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity; dedicated to leadership in the continuing quest for understanding of God’s creation and for the discovery, dissemination and integration of the values, knowledge and skills required to transform society in the spirit of the Gospels.

For information on Saint Louis University’s scholarships and financial aid, visit www.bit.ly/2WM8Qnx.