Partners Scholarship Program
(Sponsor Responsibilities)
What is the Partners Scholarship
Program?
This exciting program began at Erskine Theological Seminary in 2006 as a way to address the alarming national trend of escalating debt among seminary students. This program awards participating students a full tuition scholarship. The program works this way: the student solicits a certain number of sponsors to contribute at least $40.00 per month for 12 months (the number varies depending on the degree program in which the student is enrolled). The student’s church also commits to sponsor $500.00 per year for each year the student is in the program. The student contributes $40.00 per month as well. The student must meet these requirements each year he/she participates in the program. The seminary makes up the tuition difference; our Development Team solicits this difference from Alumni and Friends of the Seminary. There are academic requirements the student must meet as well.
Why don’t my contributions go directly to the student I am sponsoring or into his/her tuition account?
In order for contributions to be tax deductible,
contributions cannot go directly to the student or into the
student’s account. If the student meets all the program requirements, including the sponsorship requirements,
he/she automatically receives a full tuition scholarship.
Why must the student solicit sponsors? Why aren’t these scholarships awarded through endowed funds?
The Seminary does use endowed funds to award scholarships to students! However, the endowed funds do not generate enough income to provide full tuition scholarships to the vast majority of our students. Most students receive partial scholarships this way. Erskine feels strongly about providing a method for students to receive full tuition scholarships to prevent them from graduating with large amounts of debt that they may find difficult to repay. |
