‘Life-altering’ Georgetown College scholarships will be offered to all Scott Co. students

All Scott County students admitted to Georgetown College during the next ten years will receive four-year Legacy and Legends scholarships currently worth about $160,000, college officials said Monday.

Beginning in fall 2020, any newly admitted, full-time, residential Georgetown College students who graduated from a Scott high school after attending their senior year, or who lived in Scott County for at least one year, will receive the Legacy and Legends Scholarship. It covers the full cost of tuition for classes.

Other scholarships and grants for which students are eligible can be stacked on top of the scholarship and applied to room and board or other fees, college spokesman Daniel Flener said.

Room and board in the fall of 2020 will cost $10,670, and there is a comprehensive fee of $990 that applies to all students. The other expenses students might include books and supplies, said Jonathan Sands Wise, vice-president of enrollment management at Georgetown College.

Students will have to meet entrance requirements first and only first-time freshman will be eligible next year. Very roughly, said Wise, Georgetown College looks for at least a 2.5 GPA and at least an ACT score of 19 or 20. The average GPA for the fall of 2019 was about a 3.5 and the average ACT score was 24, Wise said.

Current Georgetown students from Scott County are not eligible for the scholarship. Georgetown is a private Christian liberal arts college with about 960 undergraduate students and nearly 650 graduate students, according to its website.

Donations from alumni and others will be used to pay for the scholarship program, college officials said.

“Our remarkable institution was founded 190 years ago in Scott County, and since its inception, the college has shared a wonderful connection with the community,” college President Will Jones said in the news release. “The Legacy and Legends Scholarship is a life-altering opportunity for local students to receive the championship-level education of the heart and mind that Georgetown College offers.”

Georgetown College has opened a door for students, said Kevin Hub, superintendent of Scott County Schools. All current and many future Scott County students will have access to the scholarship.

“This is an incredible opportunity for a generation of graduates,” Hub said. “I’m sure the Class of 2020 shares my excitement as we express our sincere gratitude for the leadership, vision, and commitment to education shown by Georgetown College.”

The new scholarship program will be up for renewal in 2030..

The awards will encourage or motivate students, a news release said. Melissa France, a senior at Scott County High School, said Monday that she was weighing Georgetown as an option previously, and after the scholarship offer, it is among her top two choices.

“I am very excited,” Melissa said. “I think this is a wonderful opportunity. It’s definitely more of an affordable option now. “

This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 12:51 PM.