Valparaiso University

Valparaiso is a Lutheran university in Indiana, an hour from Chicago, on a 350-acre campus. It pairs an unusually low English bar with an unusually generous and clearly banded merit structure. Awards are published against grade-average bands rather than left to discretion, so an applicant can estimate their award before applying. Valparaiso is also one of the few institutions participating in the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship, which covers a minimum of 50% of tuition, is renewable for four years and is open to students of any major, with a 15 March deadline separate from the admission application. Conditional admission exists for students not yet meeting English requirements, and applicants may submit more than one type of English test.