Columbia Central

Participation Award

for incoming students

The Participation Award is awarded to incoming students who are selected to participate in a longitudinal study of the student experience at Columbia College Chicago. Eligible students may receive an invitation to participate in this study after being admitted to Columbia.

• How to be Considered

  No separate application is required.

  • Eligible students may receive an invitation to participate in this study after being admitted to Columbia.

  Students are strongly encouraged to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with the Columbia school code (001665) for additional scholarship consideration.

• How to Secure Your Scholarship

  To secure your scholarship for the Fall 2023 semester, please complete all of the following steps by the deadlines stated below:

  • By May 1, 2023: Confirm that you will be attending Columbia College Chicago by paying your $250 tuition deposit.
    
    
  • By July 1, 2023: Submit any missing documents that are required to secure your financial aid. To review if you have any missing documents, log into MyColumbia (my.colum.edu), click on MyFinancials, and click on Missing Documents after December 1, 2022. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact Columbia Central by phone at 312-369-7140, or chat live with us at colum.edu/columbia-central.
    
    
  • By August 15, 2023: Register full-time for Fall 2023 courses. After you pay your $250 tuition deposit, you will receive information on completing course registration. Please note, your scholarship offer is valid only if you begin attendance in the Fall 2023 term.
    
    
  • Once you register, you will receive a bill that itemizes your tuition and fees. If any portion of your bill is not covered by secured financial aid or a secured third-party payment, you must either pay that amount in full or establish an automated payment plan by, or within seven days of registration if you register for classes after August 1. Payment plan information is available at colum.edu/paymentplan.
• Scholarship Terms
  • To qualify for renewal of this award, you must agree to participate in a face-to-face interview (lasting no longer than 60 minutes) each semester you are enrolled at Columbia. You will receive an email inviting you to schedule the interview, which will be scheduled at your convenience. This will most likely be between weeks 3 and 12 in any given term. You might also be asked to respond to brief online surveys during your participation in this study. The interview and survey questions will cover a range of your experiences at Columbia, including why you chose Columbia, orientation, advising, housing, financial aid, and your academic experiences. The director of this project must certify that you have met all requirements before your award will be disbursed for the following semester. 
  • The Participation Award is renewable each year up to 120 attempted credit hours (BA), 128 attempted credit hours (BFA, BS, BMus), or four years*, whichever is reached first. The total credit hours include all transferable college credit hours, Advanced Placement credit hours, CLEP credit hours, and credit hours earned at other colleges and universities under dual enrollment. For the scholarship to be renewable, the recipient must:
    
    • Be enrolled full-time each Fall and Spring semester;
    • Not interrupt enrollment;
    • Meet the terms of Columbia's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, including maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and a 67% completion rate of all credits attempted;
    • Participate in the study each Fall and Spring semester.
      *Please note: Freshmen will need to enroll an average of 15 credit hours for a BA and an average of 16 credit hours for BFA, BS and BMus each Fall and Spring semester to graduate within four years.
  • The attempted credit hour and four-year limits are not based on degree completion, and the same limits apply to students pursuing double majors.
  • Award is applied toward tuition only.
  • Funds are awarded during Fall and Spring semesters only
  • Students who interrupt their enrollment or enroll less than full-time will forfeit any remaining award funds.
  • Award 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 not associated with Columbia will forfeit their award during the semester spent abroad but will retain future eligibility if all other award terms are met.
  • Award is based on academic and financial need information provided to the college at the time of admission. Any subsequent, additional or clarifying data that significantly alters this information may make a recipient ineligible to receive this award.
  • Award is limited to courses for which a student registers through MyColumbia and does not cover Columbia Online courses.
  • The rules governing other sources of financial aid (federal, state, institutional and other grants, gifts, or loans) will apply.

   

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