CHANCE Scholarships and Award Opportunities
Financial Assistance, Scholarships, and CHANCE Awards
The CHANCE Program provides guidance, information, and various resources to to promote student understanding of financial aid and scholarships. To discuss your financial needs, please make an appointment with a member of our Student Support Unit here. Walk-ins are accepted as well.
In conjunction with corporate partners and various organizations, we offer a number of scholarships to both incoming freshmen and current University of Illinois Chicago Students. Our goal is to support students who are studying in a variety of fields, and help them reach their academic endeavors to help lessen the financial burden of college expenses (for them and their family).
Our scholarships require applicants to be actively engaged with our program. Engagement with the CHANCE Program may include, but is not limited to, volunteering for various civic engagement and community outreach initiatives; attending our Success Series Workshops; participating in CHANCE tutoring and/or study groups; and other on-and off-campus opportunities. Information about these opportunities is available throughout this website.
Recipients are chosen based on the overall judging criteria which includes GPA, demonstrated leadership within your community or on campus, being of good character, and short answer responses.
Previous Scholarships Heading link
ComEd Scholarship Award
o GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale
o Students must be in one of the following majors: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering
o Current UIC Student
The CHANCE Program Scholarship
o Minimum 2.75 GPA
o All majors can apply
o Current UIC Student or Incoming Freshmen
William Everett Group Innovator Award
o GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale (Incoming Freshmen)
o GPA of 2.75 or better on a 4.0 scale (Current Undergrad Students)
o Students must be a Computer Science or Computer Engineering major.
o Current UIC Student or Incoming Freshmen
National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE) (Spring 2025)
o GPA of 2.75 or better on a 4.0 scale
o Students must be in one of the following majors: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Computer Engineering
o Current UIC Student
Dr. Phyllis P. Hayes Legacy Award
o GPA of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale
o Have successfully completed 15 credit hours
o Students must be in the College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences
o Current UIC Student
Digital Scholars
o GPA of 2.75 or better on a 4.0 scale
o Students must be a Computer Science major
o Incoming Freshmen
If you have any questions, please email chance@uic.edu
Scholarship Information and other Financial Assistance Matters Heading link
Campus-Wide Financial Aid Resources Heading link
A list of campus-wide financial aid resources can be found below.
UIC Scholarship and Awards Program (SnAP)
The UIC Office of Scholarships assists current UIC undergraduate and professional school students. Students with a valid UIC email account, netid and password are encouraged to visit UIC SnAP at https://uic.academicworks.com to complete and submit a General Application for the academic year (a new General Application is required each year). It is important to note that communications such as application alerts, submission confirmations and reminder messages from UIC SnAP transmit to UIC email accounts.
Office of External Fellowships (OEF)
In addition to campus scholarship opportunities, students are encouraged to explore external scholarship opportunities provided by private businesses, foundations and organizations. Lists of external scholarships can be found on the website at: https://scholarships.uic.edu. Students can also visit this website to subscribe to the UIC Scholarships Mailing List.
The Office of External Fellowships (OEF), provides extensive advisement and assistance to current UIC undergraduate and professional school students, and to recent alumni, in finding and applying for nationally- and internationally competitive fellowships, scholarships, and grants. Additional resources can be found on the website at: https://oef.uic.edu/ Students can visit this website to subscribe to the Office of External Fellowships Mailing List.
UIC DREAM
UIC is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment for students of diverse backgrounds including undocumented students. We take seriously our public mission and land-grant commitment to not only expand educational pathways for undocumented students, but also to ensure that they have high-quality educational experiences. The Office of Diversity promotes greater awareness and understanding of undocumented students’ experiences (while maintaining the confidentiality of individuals) and develops campus responses and processes to address their needs related to academic success.
For students who are undocumented or from mixed immigration status families, we have a range of resources and services to help. For instance, UIC Dream provides information to current and prospective students and their families regarding residency for in-state tuition and enrollment.
U & I Care Emergency Fund
The U and I Care Emergency Fund is made possible through the partnership between the Office of the Dean of Students & Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. The U and I Care Fund provides temporary, short-term financial assistance to currently enrolled students who are unable to meet essential expenses due to a temporary or unexpected hardship. This emergency funding program is designed to offer financial assistance to students in the form of one-time awards. Emergency funding is NOT intended to provide ongoing relief for recurring expenses. Decisions regarding disbursement of funds are made on a case-by-case basis.