High school students looking to get a discount on their college tuition may not have to look any further than their last name.
One of the unlikely gifts some colleges offer is a full scholarship based on the student’s last name, even if there is no relationship to their benefactor.
Derek Gatlin, a graduate of North Carolina State University, told The Wall Street Journal what it was like to learn about the unique surname loophole.
A teacher told Gatlin to take his education seriously while he was in high school and that he could potentially get a college scholarship because of his name.
Derek Gatlin asked people where Raleigh was after receiving a full scholarship to North Carolina State University.
Gatlin’s last name is similar to that of Raleigh businessman John Gatling. The John Gatling Scholarship is awarded to prospective students whose last names are Gatling or Gatlin.
Although skeptical, Gatlin easily managed to earn a full trip to North Carolina State in 2001.
The school pointed to two reasons: his last name and good SAT scores.
“It was the golden ticket, like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Gatlin told the WSJ. “So I asked: Where is Raleigh, North Carolina?”
North Carolina State University currently offers a John Gatling Scholarship, which Raleigh businessman John Gatling established for students with the last name ‘Gatling’ or ‘Gatlin’.
Prospective students applying for the scholarship only need to maintain a 2.0 GPA and satisfactory academic progress, as well as provide a copy of their birth certificate to prove their last name.
The California native graduated from NC State in 2009 and was featured in the school’s 2020 Master of Liberal Studies (MALS) career spotlight.
Derek Gatling, a 1991 North Carolina graduate and pastor from New Jersey, was also fortunate to receive the scholarship.
The scholarship even caught the attention of one Reddit user, who wrote in 2018: ‘Brb. I’m going to change my last name.’
NC State graduates are just two of hundreds of potential students with a unique last name.
Loyola University Chicago offers the Zolp Scholarship, which Catholic priest Rev. William Zolp established in the 1970s.
Loyola University Chicago offers the Zolp Scholarship, which Catholic priest Rev William Zolp established in the 1970s.
Students who are qualified to apply for the scholarship must be admitted to the school, have the last name Zolp, and be Roman Catholic.
Anyone interested in attending the University of California, Irvine, and a direct descendant of Miguel Vélez’s family can apply for the scholarship that bears his name.
The Miguel Vélez Scholarship provides financial support, but its beneficiaries must be citizens of a Latin American country with a preference for Colombia.
However, students with the surname Dudley would probably have a good chance of being offered a full scholarship to Harvard University.
The Ivy League university will likely offer a full scholarship to a prospective student who is a descendant of Thomas Dudley, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century.
Prospective college students who want to attend a Northeastern school may be eligible for one of 38 scholarships offered by the University of Maine to descendants of a particular individual or family.
Although it may be an unusual last name, Scarpinato is the name that could help someone get a scholarship offer from Texas A&M University.
All someone would have to do is be any type of student whose last name is Scarpinato, whether by marriage or blood.
Prospective students with the surname Dudley will have a high chance of being offered a scholarship to Harvard University due to their connection to a former 17th century governor.
Dudley isn’t the only last name Harvard University is paying attention to as admissions reviews applications.
Prospective students with the Downer surname will likely have an advantage at Harvard University thanks to the Charles Downer Scholarship Fund.
Incoming or current Harvard students whose last name is Downer or are descendants of Joseph or Robert Downer of Wiltshire, England, or members of the Harvard Class of 1889, may apply.
The admission committees at Yale University and Hamilton College may be excited to receive an application from a high school student whose last name is Leavenworth.
The Leavenworth Scholarship, established by lawyer and politician Elias W Leavenworth in 1882, is offered to students from those two schools in Connecticut and New York if their last name is Leavenworth.
Unfortunately, Leavenworth is an uncommon surname, and Yale even ran advertisements in an effort to invite men with that surname to apply to the university, according to a 1938 article in the Yale Daily News.
The Leavenworth Scholarship, established by lawyer and politician Elias W Leavenworth in 1882, is offered to Yale and Hamilton students if their last name is Leavenworth.
Yale University ran an ad in an effort to entice me with that last name to apply to the school, according to a 1938 article in the Yale Daily News.
“There appears to be no Leavenworth to be found among the student body, and in this embarrassing situation, the scholarship requires publicity,” the article said.
“All Yale residents contemplating changing their name to obtain this award should be warned that such a procedure would be frowned upon by the authorities, although the legality of the action is possibly beyond reproach.”
A Hamilton College administrator gave a successful PowerPoint presentation nearly 20 years ago about hosting a Leavenworth family reunion in Kansas.
Since then, potential students with the Leavenworth surname have emerged, with the most recent scholarship being awarded to an individual from Hamilton in 2015.
It was the first Leavenworth scholarship awarded by one of the universities in more than 20 years.
Benjamin Leavenworth, a 1994 Hamilton graduate, also received the scholarship and revealed to the WSJ that he had known about it since elementary school.
Before Benjamin, his father and grandfather received Leavenworth scholarships to attend Yale.
However, the scholarship, which included financial aid that covered more than half the cost of tuition, ended up playing a big role in deciding where he would attend college.
