East Texas Baptist University is dedicated to enhancing community through support of the local church. A testimony to this commitment is the ETBU Promise Scholarship for Children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) Senior Pastors. The initiative is specifically designed to provide children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) senior pastors a gateway to pursue higher education at ETBU. Our mission is to equip servant leaders with a Christ-centered education that nurtures students' minds, bodies, and souls, preparing them for the diverse vocations they will pursue upon completing their bachelor's degrees. Through this scholarship, ETBU seeks to empower the next generation of college graduates to serve Texas Baptists (BGCT) churches and their communities for years to come.
Overview
The ETBU Promise Scholarship for Children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) Senior Pastors provides a tuition-only award of up to $20,000 per year ($10,000 per semester for fall and spring) to children of senior pastors currently serving Texas Baptists (BGCT) churches. This scholarship is renewable for up to four consecutive years of enrollment at East Texas Baptist University, for a total value of up to $80,000.
Up to 50 graduating high school seniors from the Class of Spring 2025 may be selected to receive the scholarship. Recipients will be chosen by the ETBU Scholarship Committee, which will verify eligibility and ensure all scholarship requirements are met for initial award and annual renewal.
- Criteria
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To be considered for the ETBU Promise Scholarship for Children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) Senior Pastors, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a high school senior graduating in Spring 2025 (1).
(Note: If transfer students are eligible, they must be a dependent of a senior pastor serving at a Texas Baptists (BGCT) church, under the age of 25, and unmarried.)
Meet all admission requirements and be accepted to East Texas Baptist University.
Be a dependent child of the senior pastor of a Texas Baptists (BGCT) church, as confirmed through
www.texasbaptists.org/churches.
Submit the ETBU Promise Scholarship for Children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) Senior Pastors application.
To maintain eligibility for the ETBU Promise Scholarship for Children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) Senior Pastors while enrolled at East Texas Baptist University, recipients must meet the following requirements:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher at ETBU.
- Enroll full-time (2) at ETBU beginning in Fall 2025 and maintain continuous full-time enrollment in each subsequent fall and spring semester.
- Reside in on-campus housing throughout their enrollment at ETBU.
- Actively participate in at least one approved student organization on campus, selected from a list provided by the ETBU Scholarship Committee.
- Complete 12 hours of community service per semester, coordinated through the Learning and Leading course and the Great Commission Center.
- Serve as an ambassador for the University and be available to represent ETBU as needed.
Given the significant scholarship support, students selected to receive this scholarship will not be eligible for any additional ETBU institutional scholarships. The Harrison County Promise Scholarship will be awarded for a maximum of eight (8) semesters or up to 120 attempted hours based on meeting criteria of the scholarship each semester. The Harrison County Promise Scholarship is available to students enrolled at ETBU and only applies toward tuition costs. The scholarship has no cash value and is non-transferable. Scholarship recipients must enroll and attend ETBU in the Fall semester 2025.
(1) Students graduating from a non-accredited high school, such as a home school program, are required to submit an ACT, SAT, or CLT score to be considered for acceptance to ETBU. Students required to submit a standardized score must score at least an 18 on the ACT, 970 on the SAT, or 62 on the CLT test to be considered for the ETBU Promise Scholarship for Children of Texas Baptists (BGCT) Senior Pastors.
(2) Students must be enrolled in at least 12 hours in each of the fall and spring semesters to be considered full-time. - Be a high school senior graduating in Spring 2025 (1).