Autumn Neal, a freshman at Biola University and resident of Oakdale, was among 153 incoming freshmen who received one of the college’s highest scholarships – the President’s Scholarship – for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Freshmen are eligible for the President’s Scholarship - $18,000 per year – if upon entering the university, they meet the requirements of the scholarship. Approximately 17 percent of this year’s incoming class received this award.

Students are considered for this scholarship upon admission to the university based on the combination of their GPA and SAT, both math and English, scores. The average recipient of the President’s scholarship has a GPA of 3.93 and an SAT composite score of 1375.

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.2 to continue to receive the scholarship the following year.

Recipients of the President’s Scholarship were honored at a special reception.

Biola University is a Christ-centered university in Southern California that offers a premier, nationally ranked education and has been named one of the nation’s “up and coming” universities by U.S. News & World Report four times in five years. Founded in 1908, Biola is committed to the mission of biblically centered education, scholarship and service. With more than 6,300 students at its Los Angeles-area campus and around the world, the university offers more than 150 academic programs through its eight schools, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D.