Selection Process
The Scholarship Committee identifies finalists for the Herman Warden Lay and James B. Duke Scholarships and extends invitations for an interview. The interviews are held in late March. Candidates will be notified by mail if they are selected to compete.
The committee works with two applications: the application for admission to Furman and the
Merit-based Scholarships Application. As committee members review these two applications, they consider the following factors:
- Academic record: In past years, finalists have taken the most challenging curriculum available to them, including honors and AP classes, IB or other advanced curriculum choices. A’s dominate the transcripts of finalists. Standardized test scores of finalists are typically above 32 on the ACT or above 1400 on the SAT I.
- Extracurricular involvement: Finalists typically are involved in many activities outside the classroom. They hold significant leadership positions in their school or community and display exceptional creativity, commitment and enthusiasm in all they do. Often, they have been involved in activities on the county, state or national level.
- Personal achievement: In all they do, finalists seek challenges and make the most of opportunities presented to them.