Fairfield aims to give successful students recognition and financial aid by selecting who is eligible for certain merit scholarships. Fairfield offers numerous varieties for these awards.
Two of the more established awards are the Magis Scholarship and the Bellarmine Scholarship. Both are academically achieved by students and provide financial aid for them, but have distinctly different features and qualities.
The Magis Scholarship is the greater of these two grants and is more than just an award that provides aid and gives recognition of excellence. It is a program that aims to incorporate all aspects of a student’s qualities into the experience. This scholarship utilizes an annual $22,000 reward and also a $1,500 grant to fund study abroad or other opportunities.
The Fairfield University website states, “Students who are named Magis Scholars have excelled academically while also making the most of the opportunities presented to them through high school or their community. Magis Scholars are required to participate in certain activities, choosing from a wide array of opportunities that reflect our commitment to the integration of life and learning and the betterment of the community.”
William H. Johnson, associate dean of students and director at Fairfield, said “The vast majority of students who receive the Magis are granted the Scholarship during the admission process.” He said that the Magis looks at this history of a student’s records but, as said, is also about seeing students live out the Jesuit quality of Magis, or “doing the more.”
Johnson said this scholarship requires that students maintain a 3.0 GPA during their time at Fairfield and, if not done, they must go through an appeals process to prove themselves. Johnson added, “We’ll work with them, with the student, to try to get that student back on course.”
Students can also be selected to apply for the scholarship after admission to Fairfield if the University sees that they have a 3.7 GPA.
Meredith Marquez, associate director of career planning center, said that a great focus of this scholarship is students being involved outside the classroom and hopefully having some leadership roles like clubs or community service.
Magis recipient Cristelle Sens-Castet 15’ said, “I see it not only as a reflection of my past experiences, but also what’s expected of me in the future. Yes, it requires that you keep a 3.0 GPA, but, as they always say, ‘Magis means more.’”
Sens-Castet said, “The scholarship gave me the tools and support I need to keep pushing myself forward in all aspects of life.” She said she probably wouldn’t have been so apt to join many of the organizations she is involved in if she wasn’t a Magis scholar.
The Bellarmine Scholarship is not as much of a comprehensive program as the Magis Scholarship, but it stresses maintenance of academic excellence just the same. This scholarship gives $13,000 of annual financial aid and requires that a 2.8 GPA be maintained.
Lindsay Johnson, senior associate director of the office of undergraduate admission said, “While the parameters of the Bellarmine Scholarship are slightly less defined as those for the Magis, we are still looking for a student who has had a successful academic record throughout high school in a challenging curriculum and is someone who contributes in areas outside of the classroom as well.”
This scholarship gives students who receive it not only a financial advantage, but a recognition that their hard work paid off. Similarly, there is an appeals process like the Magis, if the student falls below the required GPA.
Bellarmine recipient Christina Barry ’15 said, “Though there isn’t any kind of program for the Bellarmine scholarship, it’s cool that what I had worked toward in high school, and what I do now in college, has financial merit toward my education.”
Barry said, “The Bellarmine Scholarship has definitely motivated me to keep working as hard as I can … Even though I was already motivated, knowing I needed to do well in order to stay at Fairfield was what kept me focused and working even harder.”
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