Columbia Central

Gary Marx Scholarship for Journalism

for continuing undergraduate students

The Gary Marx Scholarship for Journalism was established to assist Journalism majors who demonstrate academic merit and financial need in defraying tuition costs.

Deadline to Apply: February 01, 2025

• How to Apply
  Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the Gary Marx Scholarship for Journalism Application. Only complete scholarship applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the scholarship committee. 
  

  
  Please follow all directions carefully. Students must submit the following materials to make a complete Gary Marx Scholarship for Journalism application. There are four parts to the application:

  
  PART 1: ESSAY

  In a 500-word essay, describe why you are passionate about your discipline, who or what influenced your choice, and what your career goals are.

  Your essay must be double-spaced and must include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Please upload your response in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.
  

   

  PART 2: RESUME

  Provide a resume that includes your work history, extracurricular activities, and completed internships.

  Your resume must include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Please upload your response in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.
  
  

  PART 3: WORK SAMPLES

  Upload 3 samples of your best work. These can include clips from publications and online sites, scripts or audio files from television or radio, photos, cartoons, and graded classroom work. You must submit your sample in one of the following formats:

  • IMAGES: .jpg, .png, .gif
  • VIDEO: .mov, .wmv, .flv; or upload a .pdf, .doc, or .docx document with an external link to your video
  • AUDIO: .mp3
  • DOCUMENTS: .pdf

  Please Note: Upload size limit is 50MB. 
  
  

  PART 4: FAFSA SUBMISSION SUMMARY
  

  A current FAFSA Submission Summary must be on file. To receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, students must complete a 2025-26 financial aid application (FAFSA) by February 1, 2025.

   

  Access online applications through Internal Scholarships.
• About Gary Marx and David Jackson

  Chicago Tribune reporter David Jackson established this scholarship to honor a trusted colleague and to inspire a new generation of investigative reporters.

  Gary Marx began his career as a war correspondent in Africa, uncovered human rights abuses in Latin America and then returned to Chicago to expose prison murders, local political corruption and sexual violence against public school students.

  David and Gary continue to collaborate on important newsroom projects.

  Investigative reporting only matters if it's done right, and students need firsthand exposure to the methods and ethical standards of top journalists. David also is funding IRE/NICAR training for Columbia College Chicago journalism students, as well as paid internships at the Better Government Association.
  
   

• Scholarship Terms
  • Application must be submitted by February 1, 2025 (11:59 pm) for review by the committee
  • Award amount is up to $5,000
  • Scholarship is applied toward tuition only
  • Students’ scholarships that are applied toward tuition may not exceed the amount of their tuition costs
  • Recipients must maintain full-time, undergraduate enrollment during the 2025-26 academic year
  • Recipients must have submitted all outstanding documents to Columbia Central before the scholarship can be disbursed. Review your missing documents on your MyColumbia portal under MyFinancials
  • Scholarship may be used toward a study abroad program through one of Columbia's student exchange programs, excluding Summer sessions. Please note: Recipients who enroll in an independent study abroad program will forfeit their scholarship during the semester spent abroad
  • The rules and regulations governing other sources of financial aid (federal, state, institutional and other grants, gifts, or loans) will apply
  • Columbia reserves the right to withhold the scholarship in any year in which, at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee, suitable candidates cannot be found among applicants

IMPORTANT DATES

More Dates