Paying for graduate school studies just got a little easier for students attending Andrews University, beginning with the 2008-2009 school year. The university’s new Graduate Scholarship Program will be the first university-wide program to offer scholarships to eligible students in most entry-level graduate programs. The graduate scholarships will offer, for those who qualify, an overall percentage discount on the specific tuition for that students’ program, based on the student’s GRE or GMAT scores.

G. Lyndon Furst, who retired in December as Andrews University’s dean of Graduate Studies, said the new scholarship has been a dream of his since he first assumed the position in 2002. "Nearly 40% of Andrews students are in the School of Graduate Studies," according to Furst. "This new scholarship program demonstrates how important graduate education is to Andrews."

The scholarships are available to master's-level students accepted into programs which require a GRE or GMAT, or first-time graduate students in advanced programs (for two years only), who enroll for the first time for the 2008–2009 term and who have current (within five years) GRE (or GMAT for School of Business students) scores at the time of enrollment. The Graduate Scholarship Program will not be available to most doctoral students or to students in programs with subsidized tuition rates, such as some of those within the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews.

Scholarships are calculated as a percent of tuition and awarded as follows: Those with a GRE score of 1000 would receive a scholarship equal to 10% of tuition; those with 1200, 25% of tuition; and those with 1300, 50% of tuition. The GMAT scholarship will be based on scores of 500, 550, and 600. For students who have taken the exam more than once, the latest exam scores (prior to enrollment) will be considered.

Students who entered a graduate program at Andrews during the fall 2007 or spring 2008 semesters, completed their GRE/GMAT exam by Jan. 7, 2008, and who would otherwise qualify for the GRE/GMAT scholarship, will be given the GRE/GMAT scholarship for the remainder of their program, starting with the summer 2008 term. Students in advanced programs entering with bachelor’s degrees will be given the GRE/GMAT scholarship for the remainder of their two years of eligibility after enrollment.

"The graduate scholarship gives students who want to attend grad school in the context of a Christian worldview a little bit more assistance," said Furst. "It’s a major step forward for the university in making grad school more affordable."

Rebecca May, director of University Relations, added, "We have been providing graduate education for nearly 50 years at Andrews. It is vital that we offer graduate scholarship support so these students can continue their important work."