Scholarships at NLU

What is a Scholarship?

A scholarship is financial assistance that you do not have to pay back. It is an award that is applied directly to tuition and other educational costs. Scholarships for college are either merit-based or need-based. Merit-based scholarships are awarded on the strength of your academic record in high school and college. Need-based scholarships are awarded to qualified students who demonstrate the most need for financial assistance to help afford college. Please note that some scholarships are also limited to students in specific degree programs or areas of study.

NLU Scholarships

National Louis University awards the following scholarships to qualified undergraduate (seeking a bachelor's degree) and graduate students. You don’t need to apply separately for most of these scholarships. They are automatically awarded based on the information in your admissions application and on your FAFSA. Please note that most NLU resources are limited to 10% of the tuition charges assessed per term. Students are only eligible to receive one NLU resource per academic year. The only exception to this policy is students who are awarded one of our institutional merit-based donor scholarships. NLU scholarships can only be used to cover tuition costs and are not refundable to the student. Students who receive additional resources that cover tuition costs, such as employer reimbursement or outside scholarships for college, may not be eligible for these awards.

Scholarships for Transfer Students

• Louis Scholarship
• Baker Scholarship
  

Scholarships for New NLU Students 

• D214 National Louis Scholarship

Scholarships for Current NLU Undergraduate and Graduate Students

• Alumni Scholarship

Scholarship for McCormick Center Students and Alumni

• McCormick Center Student and Alumni Scholarship
  

NLU Donor Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of NLU alumni, friends and corporations, there are dozens of donor scholarships available to NLU students across all degree programs. These scholarships are merit-based and awarded to current NLU students who have completed at least one term at NLU.

• ‌Merit-Based Scholarships
  

Please Note: All National Louis Scholarships require U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. Undocumented students who meet the criteria may apply to receive the NLU Eagle Dream Scholarship. International students who meet the criteria may apply to receive the NLU Alumni Scholarship and PTK Scholarship.

ISAC Scholarships

The State of Illinois administers several scholarship programs. Detailed information can be found on their College Zone website.

Programs include the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship, which encourages academically talented minority students to pursue careers as teachers at nonprofit Illinois preschool, elementary and secondary schools.

March 1: 2020-2021 MTI Scholarship Application Deadline

Students who plan to pursue a career in teaching should note that application is anticipated to become availalbe at the end of January 2020. For more information please visit MTI Scholarship Program. Students may access the application via the Applications page (which is located within the Students & Parents – During College – Applying for Financial Aid area, and may also be obtained via the "Applications" link that appears at the bottom of all pages on the ISAC website). Complete applications received after this date will be considered only if funding remains after all timely complete applicants have been awarded. Encourage all minority students who meet the program's eligibility requirements to apply as soon as possible.

Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship

This program is an individual-based scholarship opportunity for practitioners working in Early Care and Education (ECE) or school-age care. Information and eligibility requirements can be found on the Gateways to Opportunity webpage.

ITBE-Illinois Teachers Bilingual Education

This is an organization committed to providing bi-lingual education within Illinois and offers scholarships of monetary value and of professional development. Information and eligibility requirements can be found on the ITBE Webpage.

Outside Scholarships

There are many scholarships for college available from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private foundations, corporations and more. These scholarships are not affiliated with National Louis University and have their own application and eligibility requirements.

Discover additional scholarship resources

Questions? Contact Us

We know that applying for scholarships can be confusing, so we are here to help. Contact the Office of Student Finance with any questions you have about applying for scholarships.