Scholarships
Your grades, achievements, and activities during high school typically determine the scholarships for which you are eligible. Often, the organization or individual donor providing the scholarship wishes to reward or encourage certain characteristics or behaviors such as strong academic credentials, leadership or community service activities, or plans to enter a certain profession.
Search for scholarships continually
Scholarships come from a variety of sources. Some are available through Illinois State University. Our ScholarshipFinder can also help you find awards within the University. Professional organizations, social clubs, employers, community organizations, and individual donors provide many more. Each scholarship provider determines when and how they will select the recipient, whether or not the award is renewable year after year, when the money will be awarded, and how it should be used. The more often you are searching and applying for scholarships, the less likely it is you will miss something for which you could have qualified.
Understand the timeline and process
Most scholarships are awarded on an annual basis. Usually that means applications are accepted in the fall or spring, winners are notified a few weeks to a few months later, and the actual awards are made the next fall. Unfortunately, because of this timing, if you are trying to cover an outstanding bill you have right now, scholarships are unlikely to help. Find out how the process works when you receive a scholarship.
2020-2021 Lopez and Navarro Scholarship
The Lopez and Navarro Scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance to support undocumented and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students in their dream of receiving a college degree. The number of scholarships given and the award amount will depend on available funding.
Scholarship criteria:
- Undocumented or DACA undergraduate student.
- Currently enrolled in academic good standing at Illinois State University or incoming student who has been admitted to Illinois State.
- Preference to first generation Latinx students
- Preference to students with financial need as demonstrated on the scholarship statement and determined by the Financial Aid Office.
Required Documentation: A brief statement (500 words or less) summarizing any difficulties you may be experiencing with the cost of attending Illinois State University.
The application deadline is Friday, February 5, 2021 at 11:59 pm.
Undocumented and DACA students are encouraged to complete the "Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid" authorized under the RISE Act and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). The Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act allows eligible undocumented students and transgender students who are disqualified from federal financial aid to apply for all forms of state financial aid. The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid provides a pathway for these qualified students to apply for Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants, the state's largest need-based grant program for low-income college students.
The link to the Alternative Application can be found on ISAC's website https://www.isac.org/students/before-college/financial-aid-planning/retention-of-illinois-rise-act/
2021-2022 Alumni Engagement Office Scholarships
The application for these scholarships will be available from January 4, until February 12, 2021. Scholarships will be disbursed during the 2021-2022 academic year.
By completing the online application, you may apply for one or all the following scholarships offered by the Alumni Engagement Office:
- Alumni Association Scholarship
- Student Alumni Council/Marian H. Dean Legacy Scholarship and the Donald L. and Marie E. Dillow Family Memorial Scholarship
- Redbird Family Partial Tuition Waiver
All applicants must:
- Be currently enrolled, as a full-time undergraduate student at the sophomore, junior, or senior level at Illinois State University
- Be in good academic standing
- Have a minimum ISU GPA of 3.00 at the end of the Fall 2020 semester
- Submit the required essay. Essay must be 125 word minimum / 300 word maximum; List three leadership and/or civic engagement activities you are currently involved in and discuss why they are important to you. PDF, doc, and docx files are acceptable.
Some of the scholarships offered by the Alumni Engagement Office have a requirement and/or a preference to applicants with an ISU Legacy. Please see the scholarship application for scholarship specific requirements.
For questions, please contact Alumni Engagement via email at Alumni@IllinoisState.edu or call them at (309) 438-2586.
Get more information
Our blog can help you:
- more effectively search for scholarships,
- improve the quality of your applications, and
- help you write a better scholarship essay.
Federal Student Aid also provides a good explanation of how scholarships work.
For questions regarding scholarships, please call (309) 438-2740 or email Scholarships@IllinoisState.edu.