The Hummel Family Scholarship

Established by the Hummel Family Foundation in 2017, the Hummel Scholarship program provides substantial scholarship awards to qualified incoming freshmen and select transfer students. The family’s vision is to help RU students meet their financial needs and go on to pursue career opportunities that only a university degree will provide.

Hummel Scholarship award amounts vary up to $30,000 depending on the student’s strength of scholarship application and level of financial need. Interested applicants need to first submit an application for admission to Rockhurst University.

From there, you’ll be contacted with more information on applying for this prestigious scholarship. Eligible students will be contacted in early spring with information on the application process. 

Scholarship Requirements

A selection committee will review applications and award scholarships to students who:

• Are enrolled as a full-time undergraduate
• Intend to complete a degree program
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
• Submit an application, which includes an essay
• Are in good academic standing
• Are in good standing with respect to the code of conduct and other policies concerning student conduct

The committee will give preference to students who:

• Demonstrate a financial need
• Show they have contributed to society through volunteering, good citizenship, extra-curricular involvement, and work history
• Are part of the first generation in their family to attend college

Applicants are encouraged to submit letters of recommendation. You may be required to interview with the selection committee.

Those selected as Hummel Scholars will be required to attend annual events and participate in appreciation activities. Students who receive a $30,000 scholarship also have some on-campus living requirements.

Criteria must be maintained to remain qualified for the program. The Hummel Scholarship will be awarded on an objective and non-discriminatory basis, with neither race, creed, color, sex, age, religion nor disability being considered.

About the Hummel Family Foundation

Dr. Robert C. Hummel is a successful businessman and co-founder of Great Plains Chemical Company, Inc., which became Animal Health International – one of the largest animal health distributors in the nation. He and his wife, Carole, are generous philanthropists who seek opportunities in higher education, as well as programs that teach practical business skills and entrepreneurship.

Upon the sale of the company, they created the Hummel Family Foundation to grant scholarships for students at Rockhurst University, along with six other colleges and universities (listed below). Their son, Robert C. Hummel II, is a 1993 graduate of RU’s Helzberg School of Management MBA program, a CPA and successful business leader in the Kansas City community.

The Ohio State University
University of Denver
University of Missouri
University of Colorado
Colorado State University
University of Northern Colorado

Hummel Scholars Graduate-Level Scholarship Program

Hummel Family Foundation established the Hummel Family Scholarship Program in 2017 to provide substantial scholarship gifts to qualified students who may otherwise be unable to attend a university on a full-time basis. The Hummel family’s vision is to, first and foremost, enable students with significant financial need to obtain the career opportunities that only a university degree will provide. 

The Hummel family, in conjunction with the Rockhurst University Hummel Scholarship Advisory Committee, will consider financially supporting existing Hummel Scholars if they choose to pursue a graduate-level program at Rockhurst University.  The continued financial support will be based on a selective application process.  The Hummel Steering Committee, as directed by the Hummel family, will determine the number and the financial amount of awards for graduate-level programs. 

To be eligible to receive a graduate-level Hummel Scholarship, an individual must also: (1) be enrolled as a full-time graduate student, (2) have received an undergraduate Hummel Scholarship from Rockhurst University, University of Missouri, Ohio State University, Denver University or University of Colorado, Boulder, (3) apply for a graduate-level Hummel Scholarship within two years of completing their undergraduate degree and (4) complete his/her graduate degree at Rockhurst University within three years from the date on which the individual commences his/her graduate studies at Rockhurst. 

Applications must be received by October 1 the academic year prior to the start of the intended graduate program. Graduate-level scholarships are limited yearly based on the current undergraduate Hummel scholarship distribution.

Frequently Asked Questions