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Could your name get you a free ride to college? See this unlikely tuition loophole
High school students hoping for a discount on their college tuition may have to look no further than their last name.
One of the unlikely endowments being offered by some universities is a full-ride scholarship based on a student’s surname - even if there is no relation to its benefactor.
North Carolina State University graduate Derek Gatlin told The Wall Street Journal what it was like to learn about the unique last name loophole.
A teacher told Gatlin to get serious about his education while he was in middle school and that he could potentially earn a college scholarship because of his name.
Derek Gatlin asked individuals were Raleigh was after he received a full scholarship to North Carolina State University
Gatlin's last name is similar to that of Raleigh businessman John Gatling. The John Gatling Grant is awarded to prospective students whose last names are Gatling or Gatlin
Although he was skeptical, Gatlin easily managed to earn a full ride to North Carolina State in 2001.
The school noted two reasons: his last name and strong SAT scores.
'It was the golden ticket, like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ Gatlin told WSJ 'Then I asked: Where is Raleigh, North Carolina.'
NC State University currently offers a John Gatling Grant, which Raleigh businessman John Gatling established for students with the surname 'Gatling' or 'Gatlin.'
Prospective students who apply for the grant only need to maintain a 2.0 GPA and satisfactory academic progress -- in addition to providing 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 Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) career spotlight in 2020.
Derek Gatling, a 1991 NC State graduate and New Jersey pastor, was also lucky enough to receive the scholarship.
The scholarship even caught the attention of a Reddit user, who wrote in 2018: 'Brb. I'm going to change my last name.'
The NC State graduates are only two of likely hundreds of prospective 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 into 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 Velez's family can apply for the scholarship named after him.
The Miguel Velez Scholarship provides financial support, but its recipients must be citizens of a Latin American country with a preference for Columbia.
However, students with the last name Dudley would likely 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, a governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony in the 1600s.
Future college students who want to attend a Northeastern school may be eligible for one of 38 scholarships the University of Maine offers to descendants of a particular individual or family.
Although this may be an uncommon last name, Scarpinato is the name that could help someone get a scholarship offer from Texas A&M University.
All someone would need to do is be any kind of student whose last name is Scarpinato, either by marriage or by blood.
Prospective students with the last name Dudley will have a high chance of being offered a scholarship from Harvard University due its connection with a former governor from the 1600s
Dudley is not the only last name that Harvard University pays attention to while admissions review applications.
Prospective students with the last name Downer will likely have a leg up for Harvard University due 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 are allowed to apply.
Admission committees from 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 Connecticut and New York schools if their last name is Leavenworth.
Unfortunately, Leavenworth is a rare last name, and Yale even put out advertisements in an effort to invite men with that last name 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 students at Yale and Hamilton if their last name is Leavenworth
Yale University put out an advertisement in an effort to attract me with that last name to apply to the school, according to a 1938 article in the Yale Daily News
'It seems that no Leavenworth can be found in the student body and, in this embarrassing predicament, the scholarship requires advertising,' the article read.
'All Yalemen who are contemplating changing their name in order to capture this award are cautioned that such a procedure would be frowned upon by authorities, although the legality of the action is possibly beyond reproach.'
A Hamilton College administrator made a successful PowerPoint pitch nearly 20 years ago about hosting a Leavenworth family reunion in Kansas.
Since then, prospective students bearing the surname Leavenworth popped up, and the most recent scholarship was given to an individual from Hamilton in 2015.
It was the first Leavenworth scholarship given out by one of the universities in over 20 years.
1994 Hamilton graduate Benjamin Leavenworth also received the scholarship, and he revealed to the WSJ that he had been aware of it since elementary school.
Before Benjamin, his father and grandfather received Leavenworth scholarships to attend Yale.
However, the scholarship, which came with financial aid that covered more than half of his tuition cost, ended up playing a major role in deciding where he'd attend college.