Chi-Rise Scholarship
Chi-Rise awards eligible high school graduates up to $8,000 in scholarship funding to be used for tuition, on-campus housing/meal plan, school fees, and related school expenses to attend an eligible 4-year college or university.
Chi-Rise Scholarship
Seniors, find your college match with the Chi-Rise Scholarship. It’s more than help paying for college. You’ll be connected with expert partners and a supportive community to help you thrive in college and graduate ready for what’s next. Chi-Rise Scholars receive awards of up to $8,000 annually, matched to the type of college they decide to attend.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
About the application process:
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- The application contains questions about your personal information and academics. We recommend completing the application on a secure device.
- Your data is secure. We will safely store your data to help you apply to future applications faster, and we will not share your data with third parties without your consent.
- You can expect to spend 30 minutes or less filling out your application.
- Your progress will be saved as you go. If you need to come back to complete your application, you can start where you left off.
Applicants to the Chi-Rise Scholarship must:
- Be a 2026 graduating senior from one of the following Chicago Public Schools (CPS) High Schools:
- Chicago Vocational Career Academy (Chicago, IL)
- Percy L. Julian High School (Chicago, IL)
- Thomas Kelly College Preparatory (Chicago, IL)
- North-Grand High School (Chicago, IL)
- George Washington High School (Chicago, IL)
- Earn an unweighted grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher at the time of application submission
- Apply to a minimum of three match and two reach higher education institutions
- Intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree as a full-time student at an accredited, nonprofit, 4-year higher education institution beginning the fall following high school graduation
Awards
Awards will be granted as follows:
Award amounts are based on the total net cost of attendance (tuition, on-campus housing/meal plan, school fees MINUS any other scholarships or grants), for full-time enrollment toward a 4-year degree.
- Students attending a “match, reach, or far reach” higher education institution will receive a last-dollar award toward their total out-of-pocket (net) costs or $8,000.
- Students attending a “safety” higher education institution will receive a last-dollar award toward their total out-of pocket (net) costs of attendance or $2,000.
Recipients will be asked to provide a financial aid award letter from the school they plan to attend in the fall.
Awards are renewable up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, based on satisfactory academic performance (maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale), earning credits on pace for timely graduation, and maintaining full-time enrollment.
If a recipient transfers to a different eligible higher education institution, their award will be adjusted accordingly.
Awards are for undergraduate study only: tuition, room & board (on-campus), school fees, and related school expenses.
Deferrals
Recipients may defer their scholarship for pre-approved reasons by submitting a request in writing to Scholarship America at chi-rise@scholarshipamerica.org.
Probation
Recipients who are unable to maintain a GPA of 2.0+ (or equivalent), may be granted a probationary period with a written request, evaluated and approved by Scholarship America.
Notification
Applicants will receive an email notification on whether or not they have been selected as a scholarship recipient in April.
Notifications are sent via email. You will be asked to provide your @cps.edu email address and a personal email address on your application.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship award payments are sent directly to your school, in most cases.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
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- Academic Eligibility (2.5+ GPA at the the time of application)
- Applications to 3+ Match and 2+ Reach Institutions
Scholarship America also considers a student’s optional responses on extracurricular, volunteer, and work experience.
Sponsor will verify “match” and “reach” status of schools for each applicant. These determinations are made according to a match formula based on research from the University of Chicago To & Through Project and in collaboration with CPS.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of the program’s sponsor play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Requirements
New applicants to the Chi-Rise Scholarship Program must upload:
- A current, complete transcript of your high school grades (including fall 2026). Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Unweighted cumulative GPA
Note: If your ACT test scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report separately.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students with a 2.5 GPA or higher who are graduating in 2026 from the following Chicago Public Schools are eligible to apply:
- Chicago Vocational Career Academy
- Percy Julian High School
- Thomas Kelly College Preparatory
- North-Grand High School
- George Washington High School
Yes, there are no citizenship requirements that are part of eligibility or the application process.
You must submit your application through the Scholarship America Hub portal by February 13, 2026 4:00 PM Central Time.
To create an account and start your application, please use your @cps.edu email address so you can access the application from school. You will also need to provide a personal email address (hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc.) and a mobile phone number (opt-in to text messaging) when completing your profile.
Scholarships are based on the college you choose and the financial aid package offered by the college:
- Students attending a “match, reach, or far reach” higher education institution will receive a last-dollar award toward their total out-of-pocket (net) costs or $8,000.
- Students attending a “safety” higher education institution will receive a last-dollar award toward their total out-of pocket (net) costs of attendance or $2,000.
This scholarship is designed to support the Cost of Attendance at your higher education institution. For most colleges and universities, this includes tuition, fees, and on-campus housing/meal plan.
Awards are renewable up to three years (for four years of total funding) or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance.
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and earn credits on pace for timely graduation.
All deferral requests must be submitted to Scholarship America in writing and will be reviewed within five business days and be granted or denied in writing. Common reasons for deferment include:
- Medical reasons (including mental health, caring for a family member)
- Religious missions
- Adverse financial circumstances (Ex: student needs to work to afford college)
- Enrollment difficulties out of the student’s control
- Military service
- Co-op programs where the student enrolls in course work as a full-time student every other semester and participates in a paid co-op work experience during alternating semesters
- Academically dismissed from school to attend a 2-year college for the purpose of raising the GPA to the minimum requirement or above
Deferrals may be granted for up to two academic years. If a deferral is granted, students must use the award within six years of the original award date or the award will be forfeited.
You will need to upload a current, complete transcript of grades from your high school. The transcript must include Fall 2025. Grade reports are not accepted. Unofficial or online transcripts must display student name, school name, classes taken and grades in the term they were taken.
Please contact your high school counselor if you need help finding a copy of a required document.
You will be offered support from Beyond 12 and must agree to have your information provided to a mentor/counselor so they can help you through your college experience.
Do your best to answer questions and provide an answer for any required question. For example, the application will ask about your intended college major. Feel free to indicate what you plan to study right now – if you decide to choose a different major later, we can update it. Choosing a different major later will not affect your scholarship chances.
You may also contact Scholarship America at chi-rise@scholarshipamerica.org with questions.
No. The Chi-Rise Scholarship can only be used to pay for accredited, nonprofit, four-year colleges or universities. If you are not sure if your chosen college is accredited, nonprofit, and/or a four-year college, ask your high school counselor to help you find out.
In most cases, your scholarship money will be sent directly to your college electronically. You will need to watch your student account at your school to make sure it is applied correctly.
First, check with your financial aid or bursar’s office. Second, any questions or problems that arise after your acceptance can be directed to Scholarship America. You may contact them at chi-rise@scholarshipamerica.org.
The Chi-Rise Scholarship program also has an affiliated Emergency Aid program for current undergraduate students. Should you find yourself in a situation where you need immediate financial assistance for housing, food, car repairs (to travel to and from campus), other transportation, health care, or certain utilities, you may be eligible for additional support.
We will email all recipients of the Chi-Rise Scholarship about the Chi-Rise Emergency Aid program when it is open and grants are available. If you have additional questions about the Emergency Aid program please see https://sites.google.com/view/chi-rise-student-hub/for-renewal-students/emergency-aid.
Take advantage of the many support opportunities on your campus. Your college advisor and peers can direct you to student services such as the writing center, academic coaching, and more.
We can also offer a probationary period of up to one year. You need to provide a written request to Scholarship America. Please email chi-rise@scholarshipamerica.org for more information.
A renewal invitation will be emailed to you via the personal address you provide on your application or Scholarship Acceptance Form in mid-January.
Your award is renewable for up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. You may receive this award for a total of four years, provided you continue to meet the eligibility requirements. Renewal is based on maintaining satisfactory academic performance (maintaining a cumulative 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale), earning credits on pace for timely graduation, and maintaining full-time enrollment.
For questions about the application process, when you’ll be notified, or when to expect your scholarship payment, please contact Scholarship America at chi-rise@scholarshipamerica.org.
For questions about your college applications and choosing the best match college for you, please contact your high school counselor.
For questions about connecting with a College Success Partner, please contact
Chi-Rise at chi-rise@crown-chicago.com or Beyond 12.
