Scholarships in Illinois

Monetary Award

Award: $4,968, Deadline: October 1

Applicant must be an Illinois resident who is attending an Illinois school. FAFSA and financial need are required.

 

Illinois Incentive for Access

Award: $500, Deadline: October 1

Applicant must demonstrate financial need, complete FAFSA, and attend an approved Illinois school.

 

Admissions Academic Scholarship - Non-Resident

Award: $3,500, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must not be a Florida resident.

 

Moody's Mega Math Challenge

Award: $20,000, Deadline: February 22

Applicant must be a high school junior or senior who is part of a team working to solve an open-ended, applied math-modeling problem focused on a real-word issue in 14 hours. Teams must be comprised of three to five students.

 

Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship

Award: $5,000, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must be a minority student of African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American or Native American origin. Applicant must be enrolled in a teacher education program or curriculum leading to initial teacher certification at a qualified Illinois institution of higher education.

 

Illinois AMVETS Sad Sacks Nursing Scholarship

Award: $3,000, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must be an Illinois high school senior who has been accepted into a pre-approved nursing program or may already be a student in an approved School of Nursing in the State of Illinois. Applicant must be able to prove satisfactory in their academic record, character, interest and activity record, and financial need. Priority will be given to the dependent of a deceased or disabled veteran.

 

Out of State Fee Waiver

Award: -, Deadline: Fall

Applicant must have a minimum 3.2 GPA, minimum combined SAT Reasoning score of 1200, and be an incoming freshman student or transfer student.

 

Paul Powell Memorial AMVETS Award

Award: $1,000, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must be an Illinois resident attending school in Illinois, be single, and submit ACT scores, transcripts, rank in class, and tax forms.

 

Italian Catholic Federation Scholarship

Award: $400, Deadline: March 15

Applicant must be Roman Catholic, have a minimum 3.2 GPA, and be a resident of California, Nevada, Arizona, or an Illinois city where branches of the Federation are established. Applicant must be wholly or partially of Italian ancestry or be the child or grandchild of an ICF member. If the applicant is a child or grandchild of an ICF member, they do not have to live where Branches of the Federation are established. Letters of recommendation, financial need, and participation in church and community activities required.

 

Department of Children & Family Services Scholarship

Award: -, Deadline: March 31

Applicant must be a current or former ward of the state of Illinois between ages 16 and 21, who was placed in an adoption or guardianship arrangement.

 

David Arver Memorial Scholarship

Award: $1,000, Deadline: February 15

Applicant must attend an accredited vocational/technical school in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.

 

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Academic Scholarship Program

Award: $8,000, Deadline: February 15

Applicant must be Jewish who was born/raised in the Chicago Metropolitan area or who has one year of employment in the Chicago area prior to entering school. Undergraduate applicants must be entering their junior or senior year; graduate applicants must be entering an accredited, professional graduate school as a full-time student. Applicant must plan to remain in Chicago after completing school and have the intention to be in a career in the helping professions. Personal interview required.

 

Township Officials of Illinois Scholarship

Award: $2,000, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must be graduating from an Illinois high school with a minimum grade average of "B," be able to demonstrate an active interest in school activities or in local government/community service, and must submit letter of recommendation, transcripts, and a 500-word original essay. Applicant must attend an Illinois four-year or junior college. Interview with a current township official is required.

 

IRA Educational Foundation Scholarship

Award: $11,000, Deadline: May 15

Applicant must be permanent resident of Illinois.

 

Service Foundation Scholarship

Award: $1,000, Deadline: April 1

Applicant must be an Illinois high school senior who has taken the ACT. Applicant must be the unmarried child of a member of the Armed Forces or of a veteran who served after September 15, 1940 and was honorably discharged.

 

Ted Kenney-George Vest Memorial Scholarship

Award: $1,000, Deadline: July 1

Applicant must be the child of a member of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters or an affiliated local union who will pursue post-secondary education.

 

Polish Women's Civic Club Scholarship

Award: $3,500, Deadline: July 1

Applicant must be a U.S. citizen/permanent resident and a resident of Illinois with at least one parent of Polish descent. Applicant must be a full-time student attending a Chicago-area accredited college or university for the academic year. Selection is based upon academic ability and financial need. Photograph, financial need form, official transcript, and letters of recommendation are required.

 

Ella McKee Student Loan

Award: $1,800, Deadline: April 1

Applicant must have been a resident of Fayette County, IL for the past four years.

 

Kankakee County Community Services Scholarship

Award: $1,100, Deadline: April 16

Applicant must be from a low-income family and plan to attend an Illinois school. Selection is based upon field of interest, financial need, community involvement, and academic achievement. Award may be used at Illinois state schools only.

 

Blind Services Association Scholarship Award

Award: $3,000, Deadline: March 31

Applicant must be legally blind and reside in the six-county Chicago area.

 

Oratorical Contest Scholarship

Award: $1,600, Deadline: January 27

Applicant must attend an accredited high school in Illinois and compete in the state oratorical contest.

 

Harbert Memorial Scholarship

Award: -, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must be a graduate of Centralia High School in Illinois and submit academic records, letters of recommendation, and list of student activates.

 

Justinian Society Scholarship

Award: $5,000, Deadline: April 15

Applicant must be a student of Italian descent who is attending a college in Illinois with at least one semester of law school completed. Completed application, brief written statement from applicant, faculty letter of recommendation, copy of most recently filed federal income tax return, and attendance at the Justinian Scholarship and Installation Dinner required.

 

Safe Water Scholarships

Award: $1,000, Deadline: January 31

Applicant must be enrolled in a secondary education program related to the water industry, including community college, technical school, four-year undergraduate programs, and masters and doctoral programs. Applicants must be either an Illinois resident or enrolled in an Illinois secondary education program. This includes, but is not limited to such fields of study as water utility operations and management, civil or environmental engineering, environmental science and policy, chemistry, biology, or water resource management. Selection based on merit/academic performance, leadership/extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, personal statement outlining qualifications for the award, and essay on how applicant envisions contributing to the water industry in the future. Applicants with prior experience in the water industry are preferred.

 

Back to School Nursing Scholarship

Award: $2,500, Deadline: January 31; April 30; July 31; October 31

Applicant must be a legal resident of the United States who is at least 18 years of age or older at the time of registration and who plans to enroll in a previously unattended institution in the United States (award not open to residents in Florida, New York, Rhode Island or other states/territories). Applicant must be a nursing student. Response to why the applicant decided to pursue a nursing career is required.

 

Come 2 Iowa (C2IA) Senior Scholarship

Award: $1,000, Deadline: May 12

Applicant must be a United States citizen who is a permanent resident and high school senior in one of the following states contiguous to Iowa: Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. Applicant must plan to attend college in the fall of the application year at an institution located in Iowa. Two online financial literacy tutorials and an online financial literacy assessment related to the tutorials are required. A short essay will be required, if necessary, to break ties among those who score highest on the assessment to determine winners.

 

F. Ward Just Scholarship

Award: $5,000, Deadline: April 15

Open only to Lake County, Illinois, high school graduates in upper half of their class intending to establish an undergraduate major in journalism or media communications. Financial need must also be demonstrated. Promise, character, work ethic and academic achievement also rank high with the scholarship selection committee.

 

Joseph Collins Foundation Scholarship

Award: $10,000, Deadline: March 1

Applicant must obtain application from the medical school authorities, complete it and return it to them for forwarding to the Foundation. Selection is based upon financial need, scholastic record and standing, demonstrated interest in arts and letters or other cultural pursuits outside the field of medicine, intention to specialize in neurology, psychiatry, or general practice, evidence of good moral character, and attendance at an accredited medical school located east of or contiguous to the Mississippi River.

 

Merit Recognition Scholarship

Award: -, Deadline: October 1

Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and a resident of Illinois who ranks in the top 5% of their class at the end of the seventh semester. Applicant must attend an approved Illinois post-secondary institution as an undergraduate on at least a part-time basis, comply with Selective Service (draft) registration requirements, and claim the award within one year of high school graduation.

 

Beau Mitchell Memorial Scholarship

Award: $1,300, Deadline: March 1

Applicant should preferably be a non-resident student who is a former member of the Boy Scouts of America with strong moral character and an orientation toward the outdoors. Financial need required.