EIU Media Relations

New scholarship at EIU Offers Honors Students Fully-Paid Room/board and Tuition

Eastern Illinois University is offering up to five honors students scholarships that covers room and board as well as tuition and fees.

The Pemberton Presidential Scholarship will be awarded for the first time this year, and is renewable for a total of four years. Students will have the choice of any of Eastern’s residence halls, but will be given priority in Eastern’s newly established Honors housing floor in Thomas Hall. Recipients of the scholarship will also be guaranteed support in presenting original research in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research or the National Collegiate Honors Council.

The Pemberton scholars will receive an array of additional benefits such as taking part in a small introductory seminar, and they will receive additional faculty mentorship throughout their years at Eastern.

“Our scholars will be guided through the process of creating a unique honors engagement experience which will help them grow as researchers, scholars and citizens,” said Richard England, dean of the Honors College.

For the last 10 years, Eastern has also been awarding the Presidential Scholarship, an $11,000 per year award that also includes a small introductory seminar and additional faculty mentorship for students.

Past winners of the Presidential Scholarship include:

Alex Cler (class of 2012) is an auditor for the Bank of America after interning for a non-profit national business consultancy.

Jennifer Prillaman (class of 2012) spent the year after graduation teaching and volunteering in Haiti and is now pursuing graduate study in international affairs at George Washington University.

Madeleine Trimble (class of 2011) spent two undergraduate summers learning about international business abroad, and is a graduate student at the University of Mannheim in Germany.

Bill Wolf (class of 2010) is completing his Ph. D in theoretical astrophysics at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

David Cesar (class of 2008) started a business for his Honors engagement experience, which has grown into Blue Peak Tents, a very successful company. He was also 2013’s young alumnus of the year.

Eligible applicants for the Pemberton Scholarship must demonstrate academic excellence by achieving an ACT score of 31 and a cumulative high school GPA of 3.75 (unweighted on a 4-point scale) or better, exemplify leadership and service, as well as intellectual maturity noted within high school activities and achievements.

While eligible applicants for the Presidential Scholarship must have a composite ACT score of 30 (or SAT equivalent score of 1980) and either an unweighted high school GPA of 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) or ranking in the top 90th percentile of the graduating class. Applicants could also have a composite ACT score of 28 (or SAT equivalent score of 1860) and either an unweighted high school GPA of 3.75 (on a 4- point scale) or a ranking in the top 95th percentile of the graduating class.

For more information about the scholarships, contact the Honors College at (217) 581-2017 or honors@eiu.edu or view the scholarship requirements here. Deadline for the scholarships are Friday, January 10.