Located in the Kansas City of the same name, Sterling College is a private college with a liberal arts focus. Established in 1887, it went by the name of the Cooper Memorial College. The United Presbyterian Church of North America helped found the college because that religious group wanted a college that would emphasize the importance of religious thought. Though the college changed its name to Sterling at the beginning of the 1920s, it faced some problems as enrollment slowed down. This led to the Presbyterian Church briefly considering combining Sterling with another religious college. Sterling helped change the Church’s mind after launching an online portal. Called eSterling, it now offers most of the same programs that are available on its campus.
Sterling made other attempts over the years to keep up with the demands of new students. It switched both its television and radio stations to online formats and brought in new organizations. Students can work on the campus newspaper, become a resident adviser and help other students or sign up for any of the clubs that meet on the campus. Sterling is home to several religious clubs that are open to students as well. One of those clubs allows students to sign up for missionary work and help those in needs overseas and in the United States. Despite having a religious affiliation, Sterling College doesn’t have the same strict rules that other campuses have.
Sterling College Accreditation Details
Sterling College has accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). As this is a type of regional accreditation, you’ll find that you can both apply for financial aid with the FAFSA and get financial aid before you enroll and before you sign up for your next semester of classes. The college has a popular education program that helps students become better teachers and pass the requirements for getting a teaching license in Kansas. This program has accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Sterling College Application Requirements
The Common Application makes it easier for you to submit an application to a college or university because hundreds of schools across the country like Sterling College now use it. When you first visit the site, you need to create a new account with your name and email address. The site will actually send you an email with a link inside that you must click to verify your email. You will then answer some basic questions and fill out a few pages about where you went to school, where you currently live and your test scores. As you apply to different schools, you can automatically add that information to each one, which helps you submit applications faster. Sterling College gives you the option of using the Common Application or its own application, which is also available online.
All students must submit an official high school transcript as well as an official college transcript to transfer credits. The university asks for a personal essay that lets you showcase your writing skills and explain your reasons for choosing Sterling. You’ll need to provide the university with two letters of recommendation. One letter should come from your pastor or someone else in your church. Sterling College charges a $35 fee that you’ll need to pay before it will process your application.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The cost of attending Sterling College is right around $25,000 a year. Full-time students taking at least 12 credit hours but no more than 18 credit hours in two different semesters will pay this same amount. If you take less than 12 credits, you become a part-time student. Both part-time students and those who take more than 18 credits in a single semester will pay a rate based on the total number of credits taken. This figure includes all university fees, but if you want to live on the campus, you’ll need to spend an extra $7,000 to $8,000 or more each year.
Sterling College awards more than $5 million in scholarships to current and new students every year. Depending on the scholarship that you receive, you will need to maintain a grade point average of between 2.0 and 2.0. Academic scholarships only go to students who have a GPA of at least 2.5 in high school and/or scored at least 19 on the ACT. Other scholarships go to students who are members of the Presbyterian Church and those with a commitment to improving the world.
Sterling also has standard forms of aid that go to students with more need. It determines what students receive those forms of aid and your own package based on the FAFSA, which shows how much your family can contribute to your overall education. You may get one or more grants and have the chance to take out a loan. Some loans are available for the parents of college students too.
Sports Management
Sterling College has a sports management program designed for those who want to work as coaches and in administrative positions. The program includes some general education courses but also includes a number of classes in exercise science and business. As an incoming student, you will pick a concentration in club, fitness and recreation, collegiate, professional or corporate sport administration, coaching and instruction or marketing, promotions and sports information. Regardless of which concentration you pick, you can take classes to get your license in secondary education. As many schools hire coaches who can also teach classes, getting this license can increase your chances of finding a job at the high school level.
The courses you take will vary based on your concentration. Marketing students take courses on the principles of marketing, mass media, self and society and advanced marketing. Those in the coaching concentration will take courses like analysis and teaching of individual and dual sports, principles of nutrition, analysis and teaching of team sports and care and prevention of athletic injuries. Other classes in the program include introduction to sport law, psychology of sport, sport tournament and event management and management leadership. All students take a course on sport public relations too. Sterling College will help students find internships and fieldwork experiences in the area and give students credit for their work.
Related Resource: What Does A Sports Nutritionist Do?
