Undergraduate Scholarships and Additional Funding Opportunities

SPS scholarships for undergraduate degree-seeking students are awarded annually in the fall term at the start of the academic year. The deadline to apply for scholarships for the upcoming academic year is September 1.

Scholarships are awarded at the beginning of the fall term in order to assist with course and financial planning for the coming academic year. 

Scholarship awards are based on the following considerations: need (as determined by the application for financial aid), academic merit and program completion rate of progress, as well as scholarship specifications and available funds. Preference is given to students who have not previously received a scholarship or grant award. Applicants will be considered for all scholarships for which they are eligible (descriptions below).

Scholarship funds must be used at SPS during the academic year for which they are awarded, and toward courses that satisfy the applicant's degree requirements.  

 

Eligibility & Requirements

All undergraduate degree-seeking students who meet scholarship requirements may apply annually for the September 1 deadline. To be eligible for scholarship funding, applicants are required to meet the general eligibility requirements listed below as well as the requirements listed for each scholarship.

  • Be in good academic standing and meet the required GPA for eligibility
  • Have completed any specified admission requirements (readmission stipulations or performance-based admission requirements)
  • Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the University Aid Application. Students can complete these items via their To Do list in CAESAR (if items do not appear on the To Do list, contact the Northwestern Chicago Office of Financial Aid)
  • A completed SPS Scholarship Application, which includes a personal essay
  • A recent academic recommendation via the SPS Recommendation form, which must be sent from recommender's university email account

Note: All award recipients should schedule a meeting with the Northwestern Chicago Office of Financial Aid to discuss the impact of the award on aid and debt levels. 

If awarded a scholarship, you are requested to submit a thank you letter for the scholarship donor upon receipt of your scholarship award notification.

Undergraduate Degree-Seeking Application & Recommendation Process

Applicants

Undergraduate degree-seeking students may submit one application per year and will be considered for all scholarships for which they are qualified. Both the application and recommendation forms are fillable PDF documents, and Adobe Reader is recommended to access it. If you need to download a free copy of Adobe Reader, please visit the Adobe Acrobat Reader page.

Please submit all documents as PDF email attachments.

Applications are only accepted electronically, please submit a completed SPS Scholarship Application , which includes a personal essay, to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu.

Note: For undergraduate transfer students who are admitted to SPS after fall term, and continuing students who satisfy their admission requirements after fall term, a second spring application cycle will be open for spring and summer scholarship consideration. Required materials are due March 1. 

Recommenders

Recommendations supporting scholarship applicants are made using the SPS Scholarship Recommendation form. A recent academic recommendation is required. Recommenders must submit the form to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu via their university email account.

Questions

If you have questions about the scholarship process or about the status of your scholarship application, please email spsscholarships@northwestern.edu.

Undergraduate Scholarships

All undergraduate scholarship applicants will be considered for the following scholarships based on criteria noted. 

Undergraduate Degree-Seeking Osher Reentry Scholarship

The Bernard Osher Foundation Reentry Scholarship is available to newly admitted and continuing undergraduate degree-seeking students who demonstrate strong academic achievement, financial need, who have reentered higher education after a cumulative interruption of five years or more, and anticipate workforce participation for a significant period of time subsequent to graduation.

Students eligible for the Osher Reentry Scholarship must:

  • Be pursuing first undergraduate degree
  • Have reentered higher education after a cumulative interruption of five or more years
  • Have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at SPS
  • If a transfer student, must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from all previously attended institutions
  • Have demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Northwestern University Aid Application
  • Submit electronically a completed SPS Application, which includes a personal essay, to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu
  • Submit electronically a recent academic recommendation using the SPS Recommendation form. Instructors must submit the form from their university email account to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu
Undergraduate Degree-Seeking Crankstart Reentry Scholarship

The Crankstart Reentry Scholarship is available to newly admitted and continuing undergraduate degree-seeking students who demonstrate strong academic achievement, financial need, who have reentered higher education after a cumulative interruption of five years or more, and anticipate workforce participation for a significant period of time subsequent to graduation.

Students eligible for the Crankstart Reentry Scholarship must:

  • Be pursuing first undergraduate degree
  • Have reentered higher education after a cumulative interruption of five or more years
  • Have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at SPS
  • If a transfer student, must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from all previously attended institutions
  • Have demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Northwestern University Aid Application
  • Submit electronically the completed SPS scholarship application, which includes a personal essay, to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu
  • Submit electronically a recent academic recommendation using the SPS Recommendation form. Instructors must submit the form from their university email account to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu
Undergraduate Degree-Seeking Continuing Student Scholarship

Current SPS degree-seeking students continuing their undergraduate program, who demonstrate both academic achievement and financial need, will be considered for the Continuing Student Scholarship. Applicants must have completed at least four SPS courses to be eligible, as well as the following criteria.

Students eligible for the Undergraduate Continuing Student Scholarship must:

Undergraduate Degree-Seeking Transfer Student Scholarships

This scholarship rewards outstanding transfer applicants for success in previous academic study. Scholarship recipients receive a one-time tuition grant for up to three courses at SPS, based on available funds. Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 from all previously attended institutions.

Students eligible for the Undergraduate Transfer Student Scholarship must:

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Northwestern University Employee Circle Scholarship

For more than 100 years, the University Circle has promoted fellowship and friendship among the women of Northwestern University. The University Circle established a tuition scholarship program in 2005 to assist university employees enrolled in SPS further their career opportunities. The scholarship is funded by donations from University Circle members as well as the public. 

Students eligible for the University Circle scholarship must:

  • Be pursuing a credit-bearing credential
  • Be in good academic standing with a minimum “B” average at SPS (cumulative GPA of 3.0)
  • Be employed by Northwestern University for more than one year

The University Circle scholarship is awarded once per year and has an annual application deadline of March 1. Complete University Circle scholarship guidelines can be found on the University Circle page.

 

Graduate Global Health Fieldwork Scholarship

All Global Health Fieldwork travel decisions will be made in coordination with SPS leadership, the MSGH Practicum instructor and the Office of Global Safety and Security during the Practicum course. Students whose travel plans have been approved, and meet the below requirements, are eligible to apply for a fieldwork scholarship. We are continuously assessing the safety of our international partners and students and will follow the Office of Global Safety and Security guidance. If global circumstances change, our travel guidance and the opportunity for Global Health Fieldwork scholarship may be revised.  

The Practicum experience of the SPS Masters of Science in Global Health (MSGH) provides students with the opportunity to directly apply their education and positively impact underserved regions, in partnership with global organizations. To support this important work, the scholarship award will help make fieldwork possible by reducing tuition expenses. Scholarships will be awarded to students who demonstrate academic merit and financial need. The scholarship application has two deadlines: March 1 and September 1. 

To apply for the scholarship, students must:

Scholarship funds will be applied to any outstanding tuition balance on the account at the time of disbursement. It is the intent of the scholarship to reduce tuition expenses so that fieldwork is possible. By accepting the scholarship, recipients agree to report on their experience and its impact at the completion of their practicum. Stories may be shared with the broader SPS community. Students are eligible to receive this award once over the course of their graduate career at SPS.

External Scholarship Resources

Many SPS students have been successful in the past in pursuing sources of financial support that are external to SPS and Northwestern University.  We encourage students to pursue options available to them.

Alpha Sigma Lambda Student Scholarship

Founded at Northwestern in 1945, Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society is the oldest and largest chapter-based honor society for full-and part-time adult students pursuing an undergraduate degree. The Alpha Sigma Lambda society recognizes those dedicated adult students who achieve and maintain high scholastic standards.

Students do not have to be a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda chapter to apply, and continuing undergraduate students are eligible to apply.

Students must have:

  • Completed nine units of graded coursework at SPS
  • A GPA of 3.2
  • Demonstrate a financial need for assistance to complete their degree

The Alpha Sigma Lambda scholarship guidelines and application can be found on the Alpha Sigma Lambda website. Application packets must be submitted to spsscholarships@northwestern.edu by no later than March 1 for scholarship consideration in the upcoming academic year.

Other External Resources
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