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LINCOLN — You don’t have to be able to score a perfect 36 on the ACT to see the difference a lucrative new scholarship program has had in keeping some of the state’s best and brightest students in Nebraska.
Of the 28 Nebraska high school seniors graduating with perfect scores this year, at least 14 will be attending college next fall on a University of Nebraska campus. That compares to last year, when it’s believed only nine of the 31 perfect scorers attended NU.
As state officials held the annual ceremony honoring students with perfect ACT scores at the State Capitol Monday, several of the scholars said the new President’s Scholarship made a big difference for them.
Students pose for photos with Gov. Jim Pillen and other officials during a ceremony recognizing 28 Nebraska high school seniors for scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT college readiness exam. The event was held Monday at the State Capitol in Lincoln.
The new scholarship offers full tuition and fees, room and board, books and other school costs plus an annual cash stipend of $5,000 to any Nebraska high school student who earns a perfect score on the ACT.
“I was planning on going out of state, but it was such a great opportunity,” said Lucy Rawlinson of Omaha, a Central High graduate. “It was hard to pass up.”
Now instead of enrolling at one of the schools she was considering in other places like Boston, she will be studying biochemistry and math at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In all, there will be 16 students in the inaugural class of President’s Scholars.
In addition to the 14 recognized for their perfect ACTs Monday, another Nebraska student qualified with a perfect score on the SAT. Another perfect ACT scorer lives in California but qualified as a Nebraska resident under the scholarship program since his parents are deployed in the military.
When the state’s top students go away to school, there’s less chance that they ultimately will make their careers in Nebraska. That contributes to the state’s persistent “brain drain,” with thousands more college-educated people moving out of the state each year than are moving in.
Scholars will see how high they can climb
For years, top students in Nebraska have often received better scholarship offers from public and private schools in other states than from their own. The University of Nebraska for decades has offered Regents Scholarships, but they only cover tuition, not room and board or other costs.
UNL and UNO also have some scholarship programs offering full tuition plus room and board, but they are limited to specialized fields like computer science and engineering.
The President’s Scholarship may be used for any field of undergraduate study at any University of Nebraska campus. Of this year’s recipients, 14 plan to attend UNL and the other two are going to the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Andrew Rogers of Omaha Creighton Prep said he was interested in staying in Nebraska for college.
But as of last fall, he was strongly leaning toward the University of Alabama. The financial offer from the out-of-state school was simply better. In fact, his older brother years earlier chose to attend Alabama for that same reason.
But in January, when Gov. Jim Pillen and university officials announced the new President’s Scholarship, Rogers took notice. In fact, he was so motivated, he retook the ACT so could get the needed perfect score, having twice previously fallen just short with a 35.
Now with the 36 ACT score and President’s Scholarship in hand, he’s happy to be attending UNL in the fall to study math and physics.
His parents, John and Susie Rogers of Omaha, are happy, too.
“If they really are serious about keeping smart kids from Nebraska in the state, I think it’s a fantastic program,” John Rogers said.
Pillen and Chris Kabourek, the interim president of the University of Nebraska, said they are pleased with the results so far.
“Statistically, we don’t need to do a five-year study,” Pillen said of the difference the new scholarship is making. “All you’ve got to do is meet the students, and they’re so grateful that they can stay home and they can afford to stay home.”
Kabourek noted that the state didn’t even get a full recruiting cycle with the scholarship this year, with some students having already made their college choices by January. He said the university also intends to create more programming around the scholarships, including internships.
“We’re really excited about going to talk to juniors and sophomores and freshmen about how we want them at Nebraska,” he said.
Kabourek and Pillen said they also remain hopeful that enough money can be raised from private donors to expand the program to kids with ACTs of 32 or 33 and above.
Some top Nebraska students will always be lured away by great opportunities in other states. Some of the 28 students honored Monday are set to attend schools like MIT, the University of California-Berkeley and Duke.
But Kabourek was not yet ready to give up on any of them. During Monday’s ceremony, he told them if things don’t work out at their other school, they will always be welcome back in Nebraska on a President’s Scholarship.
“Just like in athletics and the transfer portal,” he said, “give us a call.”
Gov. Jim Pillen, University of Nebraska officials announced a full tuition scholarship to any University of Nebraska campuses for students with perfect ACT scores during a news conference at the state capitol on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Lincoln.
cordes@owh.com, 402-444-1130, twitter.com/henrycordes
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Get to know the Omaha World Herald’s 2024 All State Academic Team
Nebraska officials recognized 28 students that scored a 36 on the ACT during a ceremony at the state Capitol.
Students pose for photos with Gov. Jim Pillen and other officials during a ceremony recognizing 28 Nebraska high school seniors for scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT college readiness exam. The event was held Monday at the State Capitol in Lincoln.
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