Columbia Central

Scholarship Columbia

For continuing undergraduate students

Scholarship Columbia was established by the college as a matching challenge to increase scholarship dollars and invigorate the spirit of giving back in direct support of our students through the generous donations of staff, faculty, and friends of Columbia.

Deadline to Apply: February 01, 2025

• How to Apply

  Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship 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 Scholarship Columbia application. There are three parts to the application:

  PART 1: ESSAY

  In a 300- to 500-word essay, describe how Scholarship Columbia will make a difference in your life as a student.

  Your essay must be double-spaced, and 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.

  PART 2: LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

  One letter of recommendation is required from a Columbia faculty member who is familiar with your academic abilities.

  For your convenience, the online application will send an email notification directly to the person you've chosen to complete your recommendation. Please be prepared with the email address of your recommender. 

  Remember to contact your recommenders directly before providing their information on the application. Since this application is part of the larger College-Wide Undergraduate Scholarship application, also note the specific scholarship(s) for which they will be recommending you. Be sure to give recommenders as much time as possible to write letters. Requests made at the last minute are often difficult to fulfill by the deadline.

  PART 3: 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 Scholarship Columbia

  Donors to Scholarship Columbia include alumni, faculty, staff, parents, board members and friends of the College. Each of these significant groups recognizes the value of a Columbia College education as well as the opportunity to help students in financial need. Members of the Faculty & Staff Scholarship Initiative Committee have rallied to the call of Scholarship Columbia, hosting multiple fundraisers on campus with every dollar going to Scholarship Columbia.

• Scholarship Terms
  • Application must be submitted by February 1, 2025 (11:59 pm) for review by the committee
  • Amount of this one-year scholarship is up to $5,000, awarded half in Fall and half in Spring
  • 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 who graduate in Fall 2025 may receive the full scholarship amount in Fall 2025
  • 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 scholarship 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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