Financial Aid and Scholarships

 

 

 

• Meet priority application deadlines and maximize scholarship money
• Make sure application college list matches FAFSA college list
• If a student applies to more than 20 colleges, they can delete colleges and add new ones once FAFSA has been successfully processed. We strongly discourage students from applying to more than 20 colleges.

 

• Deposit for housing or registration with college (may be waived)
• Accept financial aid through the college portal 
• Complete online credit counseling

 

 

 

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the preliminary requirement for students who wish to receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid.  The information collected by the FAFSA application determines what grants, loans and work study a student may be eligible for in order to attend college. Only United States citizens and eligible non-citizens are permitted to file a FAFSA. 

 

What information do you need to complete a FAFSA?

 

Which non-citizens are eligible to complete FAFSA?  Look here.

 

Both students and parents must create a studentaid.gov account and use it to complete the FAFSA. Parent immigration status does not impact a student's ability to receive aid. 

 

CSS Profile is an additional financial aid applicaton required by many colleges and universities and is administered through College Board.  You can find the list of colleges that require a CSS Profile here.

 

 

 

 

Rise Act/AAIFA provides financial aid for some undocumented students and transgender students ($5340 for the 2020-2021 school year) if:

 

Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (AAIFA) can be found here.

 

Click here for IACAC's list of colleges with stated policies to assist undocumented students.

 

TheDream.Us Scholarship awards $29,000 to undocumented students at number of partner colleges

 

The Anhelo Project Dream Scholarship provides Illinois students funding to attend Illinois institutions.

 

Students with a 3.0  weighted GPA can qualify for a Star Scholarship from City Colleges of Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 

Please note: scholarship applications should always be free. Avoid websites or mailings that request any type of fee to apply.  

 

Loyola Senn Scholarship (David Prasse Community Schools Scholarship) is a four-year full-tuition scholarship and ensures full financial funding for four years.

 

POSSE Foundation awards 4-year, full-tuition scholarships. Students need to nominated as juniors and should contact their counselor if interested.

 

Questbridge provides scholarships for the full cost of a student's college education. 

 

College Greenlight is an outstanding resource for all things college and every student should create a profile.

 

Chicago City Colleges Star Scholarship--covers tuition for students who have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

 

One Million Degrees Scholarship--provides $1000, academic, career and personal guidance for students with a 2.0 GPA and planning to attend a Chicago City College. (see guide in resources below)

 

UNCF awards a variety of scholarships for students interested in HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges).

 

Hispanic Scholarship Fund provides a number of scholarships to students of Hispanic heritage.

 

MALDEF: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund scholarship guide.

 

College Board Scholarship Search and College Board Opportunity Scholarship

 

Scholarships.com has scholarships arranged by specific criteria (community service, disability, major, etc.).

Fastweb.com is a large site with an enormous amount of possibilities.

 

Niche.com  is another large with a broad range of listed scholarships.