Hesston College offers scholarship to international graduates of St. John’s Military School
St. John’s Military School, an all-male, military boarding school in Salina, Kansas, now has even more to offer its international cadets. Hesston College, a Christ-centered, liberal arts college located in Hesston, Kansas, has created a scholarship specifically for international cadets who graduate from St. John’s. These cadets who meet the school’s academic guidelines for admission will be eligible for the scholarship that will award $10,000 per year for the two years the student is enrolled at the school. 
“We want to make it easier for international students to earn an education at Hesston College,” said Dave Osborne, director of international admissions at Hesston College. “As a faith-based school we are committed to providing an education to young people from around the world. It’s important to us as a church, and as a school, to be a global network. We believe our partnership with St. John’s will allow us to meet these goals of extending a high quality, faith-based education to our global community of students.”
Hesston College has earned a reputation for its academic standards. Its accepted students earn an average high school grade point average of 3.3, and an average SAT score of 1438.
“We look for students who are strong academically,” said Osborne. “We have high academic expectations. What’s important for applicants and accepted students to understand is that they’ll have to work hard while at Hesston, but we will help them to be successful.”
For the admissions team at Hesston College, a partnership with St. John’s Military School represents an ideal alignment of two institutions that share common values and missions.
“During my time on the St. John’s campus, I realized that a lot of things aligned,” said Mari Sailors, associate director of international admissions at Hesston College. “Like Hesston College, St. John’s is student-centered, they offer small class sizes, faith integration, and their students are treated like family. Also like Hesston College, St. John’s offers its students an essential leadership component as part of their education. Students who graduate from St. John’s and come to Hesston College will have an opportunity to continue taking on leadership roles.”
Hesston College’s goal for each student to be educated and nurtured academically, socially, and spiritually, aligns with the overarching foundation of a St. John’s education.
“We are looking for students who are strong academically and who would be a good fit for our campus,” explained Osborne. “We are looking for candidates whose primary reason for considering Hesston is to take advantage of our high quality academic programs. All of our international students who are under the age of 24 are required to live in our on-campus residence halls, so we are looking for students comfortable with an on-campus living environment as well.”
St. John’s Military School offers all of its cadets a structured, military boarding school environment with a primary focus on a first-class education, and a holistic development of its cadets academically, personally, and spiritually. International students having spent even a single year at St. John’s Military School will be well-positioned for the opportunities that await them at Hesston College.
“We are extremely pleased that Hesston College has identified our cadets as young men worthy of such scholarships. Our boys graduate with extremely high GPAs and test scores and they learn leadership skills at St. John’s that serve them long after they leave us,” said Ginger Wooten, academic dean at St. John’s Military School. “We are committed to forming a global campus environment where students of all nationalities benefit from shared learning, and exposure to one another’s varied cultures. Allowing our international students to continue their education at Hesston College, which has earned a strong reputation for its academic excellence and faith-based education, is extremely important to us and to our commitment to our international cadets.”
The admissions team at Hesston College echoes St. John’s beliefs of the importance of fostering a diverse campus.
“We are convinced our U.S. students are better served if they can be on a campus with a strong international enrollment,” said Osborne. “We have U.S. students on our campus representing 35 states, attending classes with students from around the world. We currently have students on our campus from 17 countries. We are of the conviction that our U.S. students are better served for experiencing this diversity, and we always look for ways to promote interactions and shared learning between our U.S. and international students.”
As proof of the positive impact Hesston College’s international enrollment makes annually on its students, Osborne points to the second year survey Hesston College students complete upon their departure.
“Every year, one of the things students say they valued was the opportunity to interact with international students,” he said. “The global culture we create is valued by all of our students, and as a school, that is extremely important to us.”
Both St. John’s Military School, and Hesston College, look to the future of their partnership with one another with enthusiasm.
“We are extremely appreciative of Hesston College for recognition of our international students and the quality education they are receiving at St. John’s,” said Melissa McCoy, director of international admissions. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with one another, and to our shared commitment for bettering the education of our global student community.”
About Hesston College
Hesston College is a two-year, residential, private college owned by The Mennonite Church USA. Hesston College provides students with the first and second year of a liberal arts undergraduate education, in addition to offering several career programs. It has an average total enrollment of approximately 400 students, of which, 12 percent are international.
For more information regarding Hesston College, visit Hesston.edu.