By Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman

Gabriel Jimenez-Ekman is a Scholarships360 writer who focuses on scholarships and financial aid. He has managed communications and written content for a diverse array of organizations, including a farmer’s market, a concert venue, a student farm, an environmental NGO, and a PR agency. Gabriel graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in sociology.

Updated: July 14th, 2021

Illinois, also known as the Land of Lincoln, is home to some of the most renowned colleges in the Midwest. From the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to Northwestern, there is a college for any student!

Illinois scholarships are also available to help pay for college! Whether you are from Illinois or from out-of-state, this list contains some of the best scholarships to make your Illinois education a reality.

• Top Illinois Scholarships
• Summary of Scholarships
• Upcoming Scholarships

Keep on reading to learn more about the top Illinois scholarships including deadlines, award amounts, and eligibility requirements.

Top Illinois scholarships in 2021

Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Soil and Water Stewardship Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students with a minimum 3.0 GPA enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in a 2-year or 4-year program pursuing a degree in natural resource fields. Must have a permanent residence in Boone, Cook, Dekalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will or Winnebago Counties
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: February 15, 2021

AWC Springfield Educational Scholarship

• Eligibility: Undergraduate juniors or seniors, or graduate students, who are either from Central Illinois or attending school in Central Illinois. Must be majoring in majoring in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, graphic design, videography, photography or related fields, and be pursuing a career in communications or a related field
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 1, 2021

Friends of Volo Bog Environmental Studies/Natural Science Scholarship Program

• Eligibility: High school seniors residing in Lake, McHenry, Kane, Cook, DuPage, Kendall, or Will County who maintained a B average for their first 3 years of high school and who plan to pursue a career that helps preserve the natural environment. Continuing college applicants can also apply if they reside in one of those counties and obtained a B average from a high school there, and have maintained one in college
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: March 31

Palumbo Family Foundation Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors, undergraduate students, and students at vocational programs with a minimum 3.0 GPA who are residents of Cook, Dupage, Kane, Lake, or Will Counties
• Amount: $15,000
• Deadline: March 31, 2021

Lombard Area American Association of University Women Scholarship

• Eligibility: Women living in Lombard, Villa Park, Oakbrook Terrace, Wheaton, Addison,
• Glendale Heights, or Glen Ellyn who are continuing their education after an interruption. Undergraduate or graduate programs are eligible, but not doctorates.
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: April 1, 2021

Chicago Engineers Foundation Awards

• Eligibility: High school seniors who live or attend school in Chicago, hold a minimum 2.5 GPA and 990 SAT or 21 ACT score, who are attending a 4-year undergraduate engineering program in the fall
• Amount: $1,000 in your first year, renewable with increases in award valuable
• Deadline: April 1, 2021

Peters Foundation Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors who plan to attend a Christian college in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona or Colorado. Priority given to students who plan to pursue a degree in education, environment, environmental engineering, conservation, or forestry
• Amount: $10,000 to $20,000
• Deadline: April 1, 2021

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Scholarship

• Eligibility: Chicagoland high school seniors with a minimum 2.5 GPA who plan on enrolling in a 2 or 4-year program who have experienced homelessness, living in a shelter, on the street, or doubled-up in someone else’s home. Must be able to prove that they have experienced this. Youth leaders who are active with CCH or former youth client of the CCH Law Project, can also apply if they are no older than 24 on April 30, 2021
• Amount: $3,500
• Deadline: April 30, 2021

ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota or Wisconsin who plan on attending college in the fall
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: April 30, 2021

John Fischetti Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors in the Chicagoland area with at least 50% Italian ancestry and a strong academic background. Applicants must submit an essay on their Italian identity
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: April 30, 2021

Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

• Eligibility: Illinois residents, enrolled or enrolling, part-time or full-time, in an accredited culinary or hospitality school, college or university, and planning to major in a culinary, restaurant management, foodservice or another related program.
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: May 2, 2021

BLM² Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors who are permanent Illinois residents with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who plan to attend college in the United States. 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 3, 2021

University of Chicago’s Chicago Police and Fire Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students admitted to U of Chicago who are children of active firefighters and police officers, and firefighters and police officers who died in the line of duty. Must fill out application to determine eligibility
• Amount: Full tuition
• Deadline: November 2 for Early Decision I and January 4 for Early Decision II

Summary of Scholarships

1. Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Soil and Water Stewardship Scholarship
2. AWC Springfield Educational Scholarship
3. Friends of Volo Bog Environmental Studies/Natural Science Scholarship Program
4. Palumbo Family Foundation Scholarship
5. Lombard Area American Association of University Women Scholarship
6. Chicago Engineers Foundation Awards
7. Peters Foundation Scholarship
8. Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Scholarship
9. ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship
10. John Fischetti Scholarship
11. Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
12. BLM² Scholarship
13. University of Chicago’s Chicago Police and Fire Scholarship

Upcoming Scholarships

Korean American Scholarship Foundation Midwestern Regional Chapter Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students of Korean heritage who live in the Midwestern region, demonstrate financial need, and hold a minimum 3.0 GPA. High school seniors, undergrad students, and graduate students can all apply
• Amount: Varies
• Opens: April 1, 2022

Illinois Water Environment Association Clean Water Scholarship

• Eligibility: Illinois residents or students attending a college or university in Illinois, who hold a minimum 2.5 GPA, who have completed at least 2 years of undergraduate or are in a graduate program, and are enrolled in school full-time. Must be studying a water related field of study such as civil or environmental engineering, environmental science, or wastewater systems operation.
• Amount: Up to $1,000

Illinois Water Environment Association Environmental Career Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors in Illinois with a minimum 2.5 GPA, an interest in science and the environment, who plan on attending college in the fall
• Amount: Up to $500, and up to $250 for the teacher who recommends a winning student

Corporate Relocation Council of Chicago Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students in the Chicagoland area with a minimum 3.0 GPA whose parents relocated a distance greater than 50 miles, and who had to change schools, for their job. Relocation should have taken place between grades 9 and 12
• Amount: $1,000

Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Scholarship Portal

• Eligibility: Over 90 scholarships with different criteria, but all meant to serve residents of Northern Illinois, especially students in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties
• Amount: Varies
• Opens: December 1, 2021