The Illinois state has a great deal of natural beauty starting from Galena State Park in the Northwest to Illinois Routes 1 & 3 along the Mississippi and the Vermillion Rivers to bluffs along the Illinois River around Peoria that can be appreciated and enjoyed. The state is also well-known for its investment in the education sector.

The average tuition & fees in Illinois is $18,329 which sometimes becomes unaffordable to many people and therefore, the state has offered a number of scholarships for students living and studying in Illinois. However, there are millions of scholarships available for students studying in the United States. 

Illinois, like most states, has put into place financial aid programs to help encourage and support students who are pursuing degrees and careers in critical need professions. The United States is currently experiencing a lack of qualified nurses, teachers, and public service workers, and Illinois is not exempt from the shortage. There is a wide range of grants, college scholarships, and loan repayment programs in the state of Illinois designed to attract students to these critical needs professions and to keep them working within the state following graduation.

How To Apply For College Scholarships in Illinois

FAFSA- The First Step                         

Students who wish to apply for any federal or state-supported financial aid must first fill out and submit the Free Application For Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA will determine the level of financial aid for which students are eligible. All government-funded student aid is awarded according to the information supplied via the FAFSA, and no student will be considered for funding until it has been submitted, and a Student Aid Report (SAR) has been issued.

The key to land a scholarship is being selective with your time and choices.

  • You may be better off by contacting an Admissions Counselor at each college or university and asking your questions to each of them if you have a list of colleges or universities where you would like to apply.

  • Mostly, every college and university home web pages have links to the Admissions department from that main web page, and also the admissions offices will provide an email contact, so that you may send messages with your questions.

  • Whenever required, you can always check online and be able to easily get information about various college scholarships. Instead of searching for each type of scholarship for which you think you are qualified, they allow you to just put in your preferences and find hundreds of potential sources for free college money.

  • Nowadays many scams are happening around the internet. Just beware of scholarship scams while looking for such external sources. 

 

Application Deadline

May 18, 2020

Award Amount

$8,200

Awards Available

314

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

202-262-2800

About the Scholarship

The CBC Spouses Education Scholarship is provided by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) in order to encourage African-American students to pursue higher education in the associate’s, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree levels. The organization has been sponsoring the schola...

Application Deadline

January 31, 2023

Award Amount

$12

Awards Available

Varies

Website

Link

Contact Number

800 788-3368

About the Scholarship

The Discover Student Loans Scholarship Award is an initiative by the Discover Student Loans with the sole aim of supporting talented students whose potential is otherwise gone unnoticed. The sch...

Application Deadline

December 06, 2023

Award Amount

$2,000

Awards Available

Varies

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

855-670-4787

About the Scholarship

Comcast NBC Universal Foundation strives towards building a brighter nation by awarding the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship to bright and aspiring minds. The Foundation believes that young minds are the leaders of tomorrow. Success starts with opportunity and commitment to the young people will build better leade...

Application Deadline

Varies

Award Amount

$1,000

Awards Available

175

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

507-931-1682

About the Scholarship

The Church\'s Chicken Community Scholarship Program grants awards to students in the U.S. who aspire to pursue higher education and exhibit exemplary academic performance, leadership skills, and involvement in community and school activities. The scholarship is awarded by the Church\'s Partners Foundation, In...

Application Deadline

March 16, 2020

Award Amount

$3,500

Awards Available

4

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

800-682-3837

About the Scholarship

The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, a 70-year-old trade association established the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association Foundation or the NIADA Foundation in 2006 with the mission of supporting young men or women of the United States who have displayed academic excellence, leadership sk...

Application Deadline

April 27, 2020

Award Amount

$3,000

Awards Available

15

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

217-528-3434

Application Deadline

March 01, 2020

Award Amount

Varies

Awards Available

Varies

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

217-528-4713

About the Scholarship

The Illinois AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Worchid Scholarship is awarded to the female students who are currently in their high school senior years and require financial support to continue with their higher studies. The scholarship in hand is awarded to the offspring of a deceased veteran who served the country and was honorably discha...

Application Deadline

March 01, 2020

Award Amount

$1,000

Awards Available

20

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

217-528-4713

Application Deadline

February 01, 2020

Award Amount

$2,000

Awards Available

10

Website

Link

Email Address

[email protected]

Contact Number

317-802-6099

About the Scholarship

The Metlife Foundation Scholarship is awarded by National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Organization to encourage the students to pursue higher education in widely diverse fields ranging from agriculture-related studies to other major career options like communications, journalism, public relations, m...

Application Deadline

May 01, 2020

Award Amount

$2,500

Awards Available

Varies

Website

Link

Contact Number

312-399-0370

About the Scholarship

Karen George Chicago Speech Therapy Scholarship is sponsored by the Chicago Speech Therapy organization. The scholarship is awarded to the students who are aiming to be a speech-language pathologist. The students are selected for the scholarship based on their interest in helping children, basic personality, cli...