Requirements for Consideration

The Getterman Scholars Program is designed for students committed to scholarship, leadership, and service of the highest merit.

Historically, recipients of the Getterman Scholars Award have scored 1500 or above on the SAT (math and critical reading), a 34 or above on the ACT, and/or a 103 on the CLT.

Requirements for Consideration

1. Submit a completed admission file to Baylor University. Your goBAYLOR account will show you what is needed to complete your application file. You must complete your file by the Admission File deadline to be considered for the Getterman Scholars Program.
2. Submit a completed application for one or more Baylor Honors College programs or majors (Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Honors Program, Great Texts major, or University Scholars major).
   • REFERENCES: The Getterman Scholars application requires the email contact information for two references. If the selection committee reaches a point at which it would like additional information about an applicant, the committee will reach out to references for responses to focused questions. Reference letters do not need to be sent as a part of the application process.

3. Submit the Getterman Scholars Program application through your goBAYLOR account. The application requires completing an online application, and uploading a three-minute video-recorded essay that responds to one of the following prompts:

   In Lost in the Cosmos, Walker Percy wrote that we “live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual because in spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing.” Similarly, in one of his novels, a character notes, “You can get all A’s and still flunk life.” What is your idea of who human beings are? What are we doing and meant to do? Do we indeed live in a deranged age, and if so, what does Percy’s explanation reveal? How might a Christian education in Baylor’s Honors College help you succeed not merely academically, but more importantly, in life?

   OR

   Among the first African-American women to earn a Ph.D., Anna Julia Cooper observed, “If women were once permitted to read Sophocles and work with logarithms, or to nibble at any side of the apple of knowledge, there would be an end forever to their sewing on buttons and embroidering slippers.” What do her words suggest about human nature, potential, and fulfillment? Are her references to Greek tragedy and mathematics merely illustrative examples, or do they indicate something significant about us and the world? What implications follow for Christian education at Baylor, your own everyday habits of life, and your aspirations for worthy contributions, whatever your field of preparation may be?

4. If selected as a Getterman finalist, you will be required to attend the January Invitation to Excellence program with the Honors College.

2024-25 Selection Schedule

Once students have submitted their video applications, a committee of representatives from the Baylor Honors College will select finalists for a weekend interview program. If selected to interview, you will be asked to register for the Honors College Invitation to Excellence program and the Getterman Scholars Program event in January. 

Getterman Scholars Selection Weekend will begin with an opening session. Finalists and committee members will be welcomed, and an overview of the program will be given. Candidates will then have one-on-one interviews with the faculty selection committee and attend programming available throughout the day. After the Getterman Scholars selection events, all finalists will attend the Invitation to Excellence program with the Honors College.

Questions? Visit our Getterman FAQs. For additional inquiries, email ApplyHC@baylor.edu