Honors College Scholarships and Grants

Substantial financial awards are available exclusively to new and current Honors College students based on merit and/or need. Explore the opportunities below and apply by the stated deadlines to be considered for them. Also explore other Ball State scholarships for new and current students. Check your Ball State Student Portal daily for additional opportunities and important information. Communication will be made through your Ball State University email account.

New Student Awards

Honors College awards for qualified incoming freshman and transfer students are renewable for a total of eight semesters, subject to an annual review of the recipient’s overall GPA, eligibility, and progress toward completing the honors curriculum. Honors College Scholarship Applications are due on January 9, 2026.

Premier Named Awards

Whitinger Scholars Program

The Whitinger Scholarship is the signature scholarship of the Honors College and the most prestigious scholarship awarded by Ball State. It supplements Ball State’s Presidential Scholarship to provide full tuition and required fees plus on-campus room and board for eight new Honors College students of exceptional potential each year. This award honors Dr. Ralph J. Whitinger, a 1929 graduate who served many years as the first president of the Ball State University Foundation.

Meet the 2025-2026 Whitinger Scholars

Award Amount

This scholarship covers full tuition (in-state or out-of-state), mandatory fees (those which apply automatically to all students), and on-campus room and board (a typical DeHority Complex shared double room with 14 meals per week) for eight semesters of undergraduate study. Students who receive another merit-based scholarship from Ball State (Presidential Scholarship, Ball State Scholars Award, etc.) will have that award applied to tuition and fees first, and the Whitinger Scholarship will be applied to remaining tuition and fee charges plus on-campus room and board.

Criteria

Requirements include returning a completed application by the stated deadline. Scholarship recipients are selected by a committee based on their academic ability, character, creativity, and potential for leadership. Eligibility for consideration includes:

Apply to the Honors College by the priority deadline of November 16.
Get accepted to Ball State and the Honors College.
Earn a high school GPA of 3.85 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
US Citizen or resident of Puerto Rico

How to Apply

Honors College applicants who qualify for this award will receive application materials via their Ball State Applicant Status Portal. Please check your portal daily for an application notification; we send out applications each day. You must submit your completed application via your student portal by the December 6 deadline. Specific information is on the application form. We will not accept self-nominations or applications/nominations from schools.

Dr. T.M. Anderson Scholarship

The Anderson Scholarship provides approximately half in-state tuition and required fees for a new Honors College student pursuing a major in history or a teaching major with a primary concentration in U.S. history. This award honors its namesake, whose keen interest in the history of the American West enriched and inspired both family and friends. Funding is provided by the family of his son, Stefan S. Anderson, chairman of First Merchants Corporation in Muncie from 1979 to 1999.

Criteria

Recipients do not need to be residents of Indiana. To be eligible, applicants must:

major in history or social science teaching
maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.33 (on a 4.0 scale)
maintain a 3.5 GPA in the history major

Deborah S Wehman Scholarship

The Wehman Scholarship supplements Ball State’s Presidential Scholarship to provide full in-state tuition for a new Honors College student. This award was established by its namesake, who is an Honors College graduate and a practicing podiatrist who participated in intercollegiate volleyball and basketball as a Ball State student.

O.L. Strong Memorial Scholarship

The Strong Scholarship provides in-state tuition for a new Honors College student from Indiana pursuing a major in nursing, business, architecture, or music. This award was established by Mr. and Mrs. O.L. Strong, daughters Jo Lucille Strong Dragoo Wagner and Elsie Strong Reece, and their husbands, Howard Reece and Don Dragoo.

Bruce F. and Ildiko B. Meyer Memorial Scholarship

The Meyer Scholarship provides substantial assistance (currently $8,000 per year) to a new Honors College student who has demonstrated financial need and exceptional potential. This award honors a former Honors College dean and his wife for their dedication to the college and Ball State.

Additional Named Awards

The following scholarships for new Honors College students currently provide financial assistance ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 annually, depending on the fund.

Melvin Fields and Zelda Holsinger Fields Scholarship

The Fields Scholarship supports new Honors College students who demonstrate financial need. This award was established by its namesakes, both longtime Muncie residents. Mrs. Fields was a graduate of Ball State, a local teacher, and past president of the Muncie Business and Professional Women's Club. Upon graduation from Muncie Central High School, Dr. Fields received a Harvard National Scholarship for undergraduate and graduate study at Harvard University and was a research chemist at DuPont Co. for many years.

Mildred M. and Ralph R. Gilpin Scholarship

The Gilpin Scholarship supports new Honors College students who demonstrate financial need. This award was established by its namesakes, who were 1925 graduates of Ball State.

Professor Ethel Mae Haave Honors College Memorial Scholarship

The Haave Scholarship is a need-based award established by Carole (Kinder) Schreiber and Arthur Schreiber, Honors College graduates who first met in an honors course taught by Prof. Haave. They fondly remember Prof. Haave as an outstanding teacher whose course had educational impact far beyond the term. Through this scholarship, Mr. and Mrs. Schreiber seek to equip a new Honors College student for similar learning opportunities.

Harding Scholarship

The Harding Scholarship for new Honors College students was established by Patricia “Trisha” Ann Harding, who earned a master’s degree from Ball State and taught middle and high school classes in Connecticut for more than 35 years. She was an avid photographer and took joy in seeing her students excel.

Hickman Family Honors College Music Scholarship

The Hickman Scholarship is a need-based award that provides support to a new Honors College student majoring in music. The scholarship was recently established by Carole (Kinder) Schreiber and Arthur Schreiber to honor Arthur’s grandmother, two aunts, and an uncle for their many years of musical contributions to the Muncie community.

Mr. and Mrs. Oliver K. Ho Scholarship

The Ho Scholarship was established by its namesakes to support an outstanding new freshman or transfer Honors College student. Born in California, Mr. Ho enrolled and graduated from Ball State after his service in the Army during World War II. Relocating to Pasadena after military service in Korea, Mr. and Mrs. Ho were passionate community leaders for more than 50 years.

Nole L. and Rosalyn M. Walters Scholarship

The Walters Scholarship supports a new Honors College student who demonstrates strong academic potential. This award was established by its namesakes, both 1950s graduates of Ball State who remained active alumni for many decades.

More Awards

The following awards for new Honors College students provide various amounts of financial assistance, as noted in their descriptions.

Honors College David and Leighann Rinker Scholarship for Study Abroad

The Rinker Scholarship provides a $2,000 award for new Honors College students who participate in a study abroad program. Scholarships are offered to several eligible students each year. The award can be applied toward the cost of an Honors College study abroad experience (which typically ranges from $2,000 to $3,500) or another authorized Ball State undergraduate study abroad program. At the time of the award, recipients must be making regular progress toward completing the Honors College curriculum with a minimum 3.33 overall GPA. This scholarship was established by its namesakes, advocates of the transformative power of travel for educational purposes.

Current Student Awards

Current and continuing Honors College students may apply for the following scholarships, fellowships, grants, and awards to support and reward their scholarly activities.

Premier Awards
Additional Named Awards

Premier Awards

Honors Undergraduate Fellowships

Through the Honors Undergraduate Fellows Program, Honors College students can partner with faculty mentors on scholarly projects and receive pay for 150 hours of work for each semester of their fellowship (currently $1,080 per semester). Fellowship appointments may span one or two semesters, depending on the nature of the proposed project. Students may apply as early as their second semester for fellowships in subsequent semesters. Learn more about this program.

How to Apply

Applications are not open at this time.

Joe and Carol Trimmer Scholarship

The Trimmer Scholarship provides $2,800 per year to an Honors College student who is entering the sophomore year and pursuing a major in the arts or humanities. The award is renewable with certain conditions for a total of three years. Dr. Joe Trimmer is professor emeritus of English and director emeritus of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry at Ball State. His late wife, Carol, was outreach coordinator for Indiana Public Radio on campus for several years.

Dr. James S. Ruebel Honors Fellowships for International and Innovative Experiences

Several Ruebel Fellowships are awarded annually to Honors College students who are poised to make an impact in either an international setting, in a local community, or both. A signature element of the Honors College under Dean Ruebel’s leadership was the expansion of study abroad and other innovative learning experiences. This fund celebrates Dean Ruebel’s passion by empowering students to pursue innovative opportunities locally and internationally.

How to Apply

For more information, please contact Dean Buss at james.buss@bsu.edu.

Lawhead Student Enrichment Award

The Lawhead Award provides an Honors College student pursuing a career in education with $3,000 during the third year of study toward the cost of an enhanced learning experience, such as an immersive or experiential growth experience, study abroad, attendance at a professional conference, an internship, or another unusual experience. This award honors Dr. Victor Lawhead and his wife, Doris. Dr. Lawhead was named dean of undergraduate programs at Ball State in 1958 and established what is now the Honors College that same year. He continually searched for innovative and engaging methods of teaching and learning and modeled these methods with his honors and education students.

How to Apply

For more information, please contact Dr. Jim Buss at james.buss@bsu.edu.

Drs. Anthony and Joanne Edmonds Scholarship for Study Abroad

The Edmonds Scholarship provides $3,000 in financial assistance each biennium for an Honors College student preparing to study abroad. Drs. Anthony and Joanne Edmonds devoted more than 60 years to Ball State and the Honors College and championed study abroad experiences for Honors College students.

How to Apply

For more information, please contact Dean Buss at james.buss@bsu.edu.

Dr. F. Ray and Carolyn J. Saxman Honors College Scholarly Engagement Grants

The Saxman Grants support and assist Honors College students with opportunities for meaningful research and scholarly activities as undergraduates. Experiences include, but are not limited to, travel grants to support students whose submitted presentations have been accepted to regional, national, and international professional conferences.

How to Apply

Applications are due by Friday, October 10, 2025. Apply here. For more information, please contact Dean Buss at james.buss@bsu.edu.

National and Regional Honors Conference Participation Grants

Students poised to share their Honors College research and scholarship to a broader audience should consider submitting a conference proposal to the Mid-East Honors Association (MEHA) or the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC). The Honors College supports the conference expenses for about 10 accepted and participating students for each conference each year.

How to Apply

To be considered for these grants, students must submit a declaration of intent form to the Honors College before submitting a proposal to MEHA or NCHC. Please contact Dean Buss at james.buss@bsu.edu for more information on how to apply.

Joe and Carol Trimmer Awards for Outstanding Senior Honors Thesis and Creative Project

Two awards of at least $1,000 each are presented each May to the most outstanding Honors College theses of the academic year, thanks to the generosity of Joe and Carol Trimmer. Honors College students who graduated in the prior December or who will graduate in May or July of the current year are eligible to apply.

How to Apply

The application for these awards must be received no later than midnight on Tuesday, March 28, 2025. Download the application

Additional Named Awards

The following scholarships for continuing Honors College students currently provide financial assistance ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 annually, depending on the fund.

Melvin Fields and Zelda Holsinger Fields Scholarship

The Fields Scholarship supports Honors College students who demonstrate financial need. This award was established by its namesakes, both longtime Muncie residents. Mrs. Fields was a graduate of Ball State, a local teacher, and past president of the Muncie Business and Professional Women's Club. Upon graduation from Muncie Central High School, Dr. Fields received a Harvard National Scholarship for undergraduate and graduate study at Harvard University and was a research chemist at DuPont Co. for many years.

Mildred M. and Ralph R. Gilpin Scholarship

The Gilpin Scholarship supports Honors College students who demonstrate financial need. This award was established by its namesakes, who were 1925 graduates of Ball State.

Harding Scholarship

The Harding Scholarship for Honors College students was established by Patricia “Trisha” Ann Harding, who earned a master’s degree from Ball State and taught middle and high school classes in Connecticut for more than 35 years. She was an avid photographer and took joy in seeing her students excel.

Nationally Competitive Awards

Want to become the next Rhodes Scholar or National Science Foundation Fellow? Ball State helps current students pursue major national scholarships, fellowships, and internships that support graduate-level and international study, promote specific areas of undergraduate study, or reward academic excellence. Learn about these opportunities.

Honors College

Ball Honors House (BA), room 104
Muncie, IN 47306

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Summer: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

765-285-1024

765-285-2072