Now includes program support from Bottom Line or One Million Degrees
The Chi-Rise Scholarship has been established to assist students in selected Chicago Public high schools who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. The Chi-Rise Scholarship offers a renewable scholarship along with advising support through Bottom Line or One Million Degrees — learn more in the Awards tab.
Please click and read through each tab below regarding Eligibility, Awards, Required Documents and FAQ’s for the program before applying for the scholarship.
2022 Recipients of the Chi-Rise Scholarship Program will receive an invitation to renew their scholarship in January 2023 and do not need to complete a new application.
New applicants to the Chi-Rise Scholarship Program must:
Award
Awards will be granted as follows:
Awards are renewable up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance (maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and earning credits on pace for timely graduation).
Awards are for undergraduate study only.
As a competitive scholarship program, not all applicants will receive awards.
As part of the scholarship, there is an expectation for recipients to utilize our programmatic supports through Bottom Line or One Million Degrees. This is designed to help students thrive in college and beyond. Please note that further direction regarding these supports will be available upon receiving an awards letter.
The Chi-Rise Scholarship program also has an affiliated Emergency Aid program (for current undergraduate students). Should you find yourself in a situation where you need immediate financial assistance for housing, food, car repairs (to travel to and from campus), other transportation, health care, or certain utilities, you may be eligible for additional support. The emergency aid program will be available beginning on or after September 30, 2022, at https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/chi-riseaid/.
Selection of Recipients
The donor for this scholarship is eager to help students graduating from eligible Chicago Public Schools. Your submitted information will be evaluated by Scholarship America. Scholarship America will consider your overall application including your academic and personal background along with your future plans and special circumstances to determine awards. Recipients must demonstrate financial need. Additionally, awards will be funded up to the budget provided by the donor. We encourage all eligible students to apply.
Notification
Applicants will be notified in April 2023.
If you applied for the scholarship for Early Decision or Early Action to a college and would like to understand your scholarship candidacy in advance of our deadline, you will receive notification by mid-December.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of the donor. Payments are made in early August.
New applicants to the Chi-Rise Scholarship Program must upload the following documents:
All required documents must be submitted electronically for your application to be complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Am I eligible to apply for the Chi-Rise Scholarship?
Students graduating in 2023 from the following Chicago Public Schools are eligible to apply for the scholarship:
2. I am an undocumented student. May I apply for this scholarship?
Yes, there are no citizenship requirements that are part of eligibility or the application process.
3. What is the deadline to submit my scholarship application?
You must submit your application through the Scholarship America Hub portal by February 14, 2023 3:00 pm Central Time.
4. What contact information should I use when applying on the Scholarship America Hub?
If available, applicants are encouraged to use a permanent email (hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc.) and a mobile phone number when completing their Hub profile, rather than a school email or phone number that they may lose access to in the future.
5. How much scholarship money am I eligible for?
Students awarded scholarships will receive funding for the next academic year based on the type of higher education institution they are enrolling in this fall. The scholarship amounts are based on the approximate unmet need students from eligible high schools are likely to face based on the type of institution they are attending.
6. What college expenses can the scholarship be applied to?
This scholarship is designed to support the Cost of Attendance at your higher education institution. For most colleges and universities, this includes tuition, fees, and room and board. Your award will be disbursed to your college or university and applied to your account.
7. Is this scholarship renewable next year?
Awards are renewable up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance (maintaining a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and earning credits on pace for timely graduation).
8. How will the scholarship application be evaluated?
The donor for this scholarship is eager to help students graduating from eligible Chicago Public Schools. Submitted information will be evaluated by Scholarship America. Scholarship America will consider all application materials including academic and personal background, future plans and special circumstances to grant awards. We encourage all eligible students to apply.
9. Are there parts of the application I must fill out? Are there any sections that are optional?
When you begin the application, any question with a “*” is required. Any field without a “*” is optional, though we encourage you to complete as much of the application as possible.
10. What documents do I need to provide as part of my application?
You will need to upload:
11. What if I don’t have a required document?
Please contact your high school or postsecondary counselor if you need help knowing where to find or getting a copy of the document.
12. Can I receive the Chi-Rise Scholarship and not utilize the programmatic supports through Bottom Line or One Million Degrees?
No, the expectation is for all Chi-Rise Scholarship recipients to utilize our advising supports through Bottom Line or One Million Degrees.
13. What if I don’t know how to answer specific, required questions?
Do your best to answer questions and provide an answer for any required question. For example, the application will ask about your intended college major. Feel free to indicate ‘Undecided’; choosing ‘Undecided’ will not affect your scholarship chances.
You may also contact Scholarship America at chi-rise@scholarshipamerica.org if you have any questions. If you email Scholarship America, you should expect to hear back within a few hours.
14. Once I start college, what if I need additional financial help?
The Chi-Rise Scholarship program also has an affiliated Emergency Aid program for current undergraduate students. Should you find yourself in a situation where you need immediate financial assistance for housing, food, car repairs (to travel to and from campus), other transportation, health care, or certain utilities, you may be eligible for additional support. The emergency aid program will be available beginning on or after September 30, 2022, at https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/chi-riseaid/.
