Rust College E.A. Smith Presidential Scholarship
Offered by Rust College
About this scholarship
The E.A. Smith Presidential Scholarship is Rust College’s highest published institutional scholarship for incoming first-year students. For the 2026–2027 academic year it provides up to $21,254, covering full tuition, mandatory fees, on-campus housing, a meal plan, and books within the College’s stated award limit. An applicant must enter as a freshman with at least a 3.5 cumulative high-school grade-point average and a minimum 22 ACT composite score or the SAT equivalent. Beginning with students newly awarded for fall 2026, completion of the FAFSA is also required. Rust automatically reviews admission applicants for eligible institutional scholarships using the academic credentials and required information they submit; the College does not publish a separate E.A. Smith application or a guaranteed scholarship deadline. Students should therefore create one FutureBearCat admissions-portal account, submit the undergraduate application and official high-school transcript, report qualifying ACT or SAT results, and complete the FAFSA as early as possible. After admission, they must finish every financial-aid document requested through the Bearcat Portal before an award can be received. The scholarship is an institutional last-dollar award, applied after federal, state, external, and other scholarship assistance, and unused institutional funds are not refunded to the student. Renewal requires a 3.5 cumulative Rust College GPA and continued compliance with all scholarship conditions. Rust notes that scholarship terms remain subject to funding and institutional policy, so recipients should rely on their official award notice and contact Financial Aid before making enrollment decisions.
Eligibility
- Enter Rust College as an incoming first-time freshman
- Have at least a 3.5 cumulative high-school GPA
- Have at least a 22 ACT composite score or the SAT equivalent
- Submit the Rust College undergraduate admission application and required academic credentials
- Complete the FAFSA and all financial-aid documentation required by Rust College
- Meet all enrollment and institutional scholarship conditions stated in the award notice
- For renewal, maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative Rust College GPA and continue meeting scholarship requirements