Scholarships for First-Year Students

Selection Criteria

There are a total of 500 awards that are open to Illinois residents who are also U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens whose families have a household income less than six times the federal poverty rate. See the Illinois Student Assistance Commission web page for more details.  

Please note, funding is limited, and meeting the following criteria does not guarantee receipt of the award. The award is only valid for the term in which it is offered. Other eligibility requirements exist, including: 

• Must have Illinois residency as determined by university policy
• Must meet all of the state requirements

Academic Criteria

• Must complete a first-year application for admission to UIC by the scholarship priority deadline of Nov. 1, 2024.
• Must be a 2025 graduating senior from an Illinois high school:
  • Ranked 1st in graduating class

-OR-

• • Unweighted GPA of 3.70 with a total of at least 8 Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate (HL) in 11th and 12th grades combined in core subject areas (math, science, English/language arts, social sciences/humanities, foreign languages)
    -OR-
  • Unweighted GPA of 3.70 with a 33 cumulative ACT score or 1450 SAT test scores

Financial Criteria

• Must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Rise Act application with the UIC school code (001776) by February 15, 2025.
• Total family income cannot exceed 8 times the Federal Poverty guidelines.

Lake County, Indiana Tuition Award

The award is administered to new incoming first-year students who are residents of Lake County, Indiana giving recipients the opportunity to study at UIC for the equivalent of in-state tuition. Applicants are evaluated for the award during the admissions process.

Selection Criteria

High-achieving newly admitted freshmen are considered for the PAP award, which is open to all freshmen without regard to any legally protected trait. To be eligible for consideration, students must be Illinois residents and have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement.

Students from any of the following groups at the University of Illinois are eligible for consideration:

• Students from low-sending Illinois counties and high schools* or
• Students for whom neither parent or guardian has earned at least a bachelor’s degree; or
• Students who qualify for Pell/MAP eligibility, as verified through FAFSA or state financial aid application and financial aid application process.

*Defined by institution

PAP awards are subject to the availability of institutional funding, which is determined annually for each university. Each university is responsible for selecting recipients in accordance with established eligibility criteria.

Tribal Nation Tuition Award

This award, administered to new incoming first-year students who are members of one or more of the tribal nations recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, gives recipients the opportunity to study at UIC for the equivalent of in-state tuition. Applicants are evaluated for the award during the admissions process.

UIC Merit Tuition Award

The merit-based tuition award is applicable for high-achieving nonresident students. To be considered, students must be high-achieving nonresident applicants that are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who do not qualify for in-state tuition. Students’ grade point average, standardized test scores, and major selection are taken into consideration.

COE WIEP Scholarship Program

Candidates for this program are women admitted to UIC Engineering as first-year students with a GPA of 3.2+. Participants of WIEP initiatives such as Girls Who Code and Women in Engineering Summer Program are automatically considered. Students will be identified as candidates in early December and will be invited to attend a WIEP Scholarship Brunch Event to meet with faculty, staff, and students. During this time, they will be interviewed for the program and based on faculty’s feedback and financial aid status. Scholarships vary in amount, but are within the range of $5K, $15K, $20K, and $30K scholarships. Student recipients will be notified of their award in mid-March.

Davee-History and English First-Year Scholarships

Funding support is for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) who are majoring in either history or English. Preference is given to students from the greater Chicago area with high financial need. For consideration, students must be admitted to UIC with at least the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

DuSable Scholars Program

The DuSable Scholars Program is named after Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the founder of the first non-Indigenous settlement amongst the Potawatomie people on the Chicago River. DuSable is widely credited as the founder of modern-day Chicago.

The DuSable Scholars Program (DSP) is a community of talented students and faculty and staff working towards the goal of achieving excellence in academics and research. Candidates for the program should be talented Black and Native American students who are underrepresented in a STEM major at UIC with the goal of matriculation to a research-based, STEM graduate program.

Honors College Scholarships

The Honors College offers a range of scholarships for incoming first-year students. Scholarships are awarded based on the competitiveness of a student’s admissions application and the strength of their interview, an additional requirement for the college. (Supplemental Honors College application is required).

• Students from low-sending Illinois counties, with low-sending defined as counties sending an average of two or fewer students per academic year to the University of Illinois in the past five-year period;
• Students for whom neither parent or guardian has earned at least a bachelor’s degree; or
• Dependent students whose families are at or below the poverty level and are not expected to contribute to the cost of their education, as verified through FAFSA and financial aid application processes.

Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES) First Year Scholar Award

The LARES First-Year Scholar Award was established to support the academic success of incoming first-year UIC students. Recipients are recognized for their leadership and high school involvement. The award must be applied toward tuition, fees, and educational related expenses.

UIC Business Scholars

UIC Business Scholars is a selective leadership development honors program for top performing, highly motivated undergraduates. Working closely with faculty and business professionals, Business Scholars receive a solid foundation in business coupled with in-depth knowledge and technical skills to ensure they excel in the competitive world of international business. Prospective students should submit a completed Common Application along with the UIC First Year Supplement. Students can apply to the Business Scholars program with submission of their Common Application by clicking “Yes” on the “Business Scholars Program” section under the “Questions” tab.

UIC Greer Scholarship Program

The Greer Scholarship Program provides financial, academic, and professional development support to undergraduate students at UIC Engineering. Renewable scholarships of up to $5,000 are provided to entering first-year and transfer students, who demonstrate excellence and perseverance in their academic pursuits.

Scholarship notifications are in the form of letters from UIC Admissions, Colleges and Departments.

The scholarship notification process begins in December and typically concludes in March.

Financial aid notifications list the maximum financial support in grants, loans and/or scholarships offered to a student.

Financial aid notifications for incoming students are distributed in March.