Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), a Catholic women’s college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., has created a new scholarship for female students who graduate from La Lumiere School, which is located near LaPorte, Ind. By creating these new scholarships, which are valued at $11,000 per year for four years, SMWC hopes to make private college education more affordable for La Lumiere School graduates.

“In these challenging economic times, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College remains committed to making private higher education affordable,” said SMWC President David G. Behrs, Ph.D. “We are proud to offer these scholarships to the graduates of La Lumiere School, a school that shares our mission of serving students from diverse backgrounds and preparing them to be tomorrow's leaders.”

The new La Lumiere Scholarships are valued at $11,000 a year and will be applied towards the cost of attendance for female graduates of La Lumiere School who are admitted and enroll in the campus-based program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. The scholarships, which are academically renewable for four years, can be combined with federal need-based financial aid.

La Lumiere is a coeducational lay Catholic boarding and day college-preparatory high school. It is situated on a beautiful rural estate in northwest Indiana, 25 miles west of South Bend, 60 miles east of Chicago, and 8 miles north of La Porte. At the center of its 155 rolling acres is a picturesque country lake fed by natural springs.

For almost a half-century, La Lumiere School has provided a comprehensive college-preparatory education for qualified young men and women from a rich diversity of backgrounds. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees chosen from dedicated parents and alumni. It seeks to develop character, scholarship, and faith, while remaining both independently accredited and faithful to its Catholic heritage.

Founded in 1840 by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. Today, SMWC thrives by offering a rich liberal arts education, scholarships and financial aid opportunities to make college affordable, individual attention, a value-centered education in a Catholic tradition, and a wide variety of student leadership activities. In fact, both Princeton Review and U.S.News & World Report rank SMWC as one of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest.

The College is committed to making private higher education affordable. Approximately 95% of campus-based undergraduate students at SMWC receive academic or need-based financial aid, and this year alone, the College will grant approximately $3.3 million in institutional aid to students in our campus-based, Woods External Degree (WED) and graduate programs. The College offers merit scholarships for freshmen, transfer and international students; athletic scholarships; visual and performing arts scholarships; Ivy Tech Community College Grants; Graduate Student need-based grants; and Vigo County Catholic Student Scholarships. SMWC also recently made a financial commitment to the men and women who have served our country by creating a $3,000 scholarship for military service personnel who have served on active duty.

For more information about the new La Lumiere School Scholarships, contact the SMWC Office of Admission by email at smwcadms@smwc.edu or by phone at 812-535-5106 or 1-800-926-SMWC. More information about La Lumiere School can be found at www.lalumiere.org.