Scholarships offered to St. Gregory’s students

University officials are attempting to help St. Gregory’s University’s displaced students.

St. Gregory’s, a private liberal arts school in Shawnee, Oklahoma and the state’s only Catholic university, will close at the end of the semester.

Officials announced its closure Nov. 8 due to financial issues, and the decision was finalized after the denial of a loan application from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to The Tulsa World.

St. Gregory’s enrollment was about 700 students, according to U.S. News & World Report. OCU started a social media campaign offering those students discounted prices to transfer and a free application fee.

All undergraduate programs are accepting St. Gregory’s transfer students who meet the admissions requirements, and scholarships are available, according to okcu.edu.

Officials posted a chart of transfer scholarship amounts on the university website. Increased academic scholarships are available for some St. Gregory’s transfers:

– Students with a 3.6 to 4.0 GPA will receive a $7,000 presidential scholarship as well as an $8,000 transfer scholarship.

– Students with a 3.3-3.59 GPA will receive the $5,500 university scholarship as well as another $5,500 transfer scholarship.

– Transfers with a 3.0 to 3.29 GPA will receive the $5,000 achievement scholarship and the $4,000 transfer scholarship.

St. Gregory’s first-year students are eligible for “freshman” academic and departmental scholarships by contacting admissions and providing required documents.

Though the Kramer School of Nursing application deadline passed, St. Gregory’s transfer students will have an extended deadline to apply for next semester.

Ashleigh Robinson, music theater junior, said her brother went to St. Gregory’s for two years because they had the only collegiate lacrosse program in the state. She said she was surprised but not shocked about the school’s closure.

“My brother had mentioned that the university was having financial issues before he left the school,” Robinson said.

Robinson said she would be upset if the same thing ever happened at OCU.

“I love our university, and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else,” she said. “But, at the end of the day, I’d settle for another school to finish my education at.”

Lauren Miller is in the nursing program at St. Gregory’s with three semesters left to graduate. She said she applied to OCU’s program and would love to attend.

“My sister is an OCU alum. She graduted with a biomedical degree, and she has said nothing but great things,” Miller said. “I would love to have the same great experience that she had.”

Lena Samilton, a graduate student at St. Gregory’s, is working toward a master’s in counseling and psychology. She said she’s already in debt with St. Gregory’s and has not yet considered all her options.

“I’m a single mother with three children and my schedule is not as flexible. Plus, I work full-time, so St. Gregory’s program and setup worked perfectly,” she said. “Seeing what OCU has to offer is one option.”

OCU officials will attend St. Gregory’s college fair this week to represent the university and give students information on how transferring would work.