Generous Gift Enables HCU to Provide Full Tuition to Future STEM Students

Houston, Texas, Feb. 7, 2024 – Houston Christian University received a generous gift that will enable the University to provide full tuition for new qualifying freshmen and transfer students pursuing STEM-related degrees beginning in the Fall 2024 semester.

The private donor will provide funding through the Grace Hopper Scholarship, named in honor of Grace Hopper, a pioneer in computer programming.  The scholarship will provide invaluable financial support to students seeking to prepare for careers in high-demand STEM fields.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of this generous donor in supporting the Grace Hopper Scholarships at HCU. These generous awards for qualified engineering students will open up new career opportunities for young people who would otherwise be unable to enter these exciting fields. This financial support will dramatically increase the number of students we are able to enroll in engineering at HCU and will benefit greatly not only the students and their families for years to come, but also the City of Houston and the workforce needs we have in this great city,” said HCU President Robert Sloan.

New freshmen with a 3.5 GPA or higher who pursue degrees in computer science, cyber engineering, cybersecurity, electrical engineering, information systems or mathematics will automatically qualify for the 2024-2025 Grace Hopper Scholarship.

Transfer students with a cumulative college GPA of 3.0 or higher will also qualify to receive full tuition through this scholarship. Transfer students with fewer than 15 college credit hours (taken after graduation from high school) are evaluated as freshmen based on their high school GPA of 3.5 or higher.

“The Grace Hopper Scholarship presents a tremendous opportunity for our new engineering, computing, and mathematics majors to receive an engaging, rigorous, distinctly Christian education. The full tuition scholarship support will significantly decrease the financial stress that can derail even the strongest of students,” said Dr. Katie Evans, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering.

Qualifying students must be United States citizens and will be required to submit FAFSA applications. To maintain eligibility scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and cannot change their major (except to one of the qualifying STEM majors). Post-baccalaureate students are not eligible.

For more information, visit the Grace Hopper Scholarship landing page.

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About Houston Christian University

For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose resulting from our central confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.