Columbia Central

Perseverance Pays Off Scholarship

for continuing students

The Perseverance Pays Off Scholarship was established to help defray the cost of tuition for outstanding, full-time students who have demonstrated experience in or commitment to working with historically underserved or underprivileged populations.

Deadline to apply: February 01, 2025

• How to Apply

  How to Apply

  Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the Perseverance Pays Off Scholarship. Only complete 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 Perseverance Pays Off Scholarship. There is one part to the application:

   

  Part 1: ESSAY

  In a one- to two-page essay, describe how you will use your passion and skills to support and work with historically underserved and/or underprivileged populations.

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

  Access online applications through Internal Scholarships.

  Part 2: 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 Barbara Schneider

  “My parents never even completed high school. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) for $1,400, which covered the full cost of attending. That $1,400 changed my life, and now I’d like to give someone else that same opportunity.”

  -Barbara Schneider

• Scholarship Terms
  • Application must be submitted by February 1, 2025 (11:59 pm) for review by the committee
  • Award amount up to $1,400, awarded half in Fall and half in Spring semester
  • 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 enrollment during the 2025-26 academic year
  • Recipients must have submitted all outstanding documents to Columbia Central before the scholarship can be disbursed. Students can review missing documents in the 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 College Chicago reserves the right to withhold the award in any year in which, at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee, suitable candidates cannot be found among applicants

IMPORTANT DATES

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