Monmouth College provides one of the most competitive scholarship opportunities in the United States for pipers or Highland drummers.

To be eligible for a scholarship, candidates must be academically admissible to the college and participate in an on-campus audition. Candidates for pipe band scholarships should have at a minimum solo and/or band competition experience at the Grade 3 level.  Candidates with experience at the Grade 3 level may be awarded scholarships up to 1/4 tuition.  Candidates with experience at the Grade 2 level may be awarded scholarships up to 1/2 tuition.  Candidates with experience at the Grade 1 or professional open level may be awarded scholarships up to full tuition.  Auditions must be completed before matriculation to the college.  Students can not audition for pipe band scholarships once they matriculate at Monmouth College, and scholarship amounts cannot be increased once a student has matriculated.  A separate application for the scholarship can be downloaded from this page and must be returned at least two weeks prior to the audition.

Scholarship auditions normally correspond with the college's Fine Arts Weekends which occur are scheduled for January 26 and February 16. If these dates are not practical because of travel arrangements, etc., an alternative date can be made. However, it is preferred that all auditions be completed no later than the end of March. It is strongly encouraged that candidates apply for admission and are admitted to Monmouth College before auditioning.

Criteria for the audition include:

Now known as the Monmouth College Pipe Band, the organization currently has a membership of 16 students, a number of whom compete in major competitions. In addition, the college offers talent scholarships for pipers. For more information, contact the band's adviser, Dr. Tim Tibbetts, at tibbetts@monm.edu.

WHAT COLLEGE WAS MEANT TO BE

Founded in 1853, Monmouth College is a nationally-ranked liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Located in western Illinois, midway between Chicago and St. Louis, Monmouth has an enrollment of 1,360 students, most of whom live on campus in ten attractive residence halls and a modern apartment complex.

Monmouth's faculty devotes its full attention to undergraduate teaching. A new general-education based curriculum, designed to better prepare students for the challenges of living and working in the 21st century, was recently adopted.