Scholarships

The College of LAS offers a variety of scholarships in addition to scholarships that departments and units offer. 

Information about eligibility and applications for consideration, when applicable, is included below.

Please note the LAS scholarship application invites students to apply for a number of awards using a single application, which you can access online.

If you have questions about any of these awards, please contact LAS Honors at (217) 333-1158 or via email.

The following scholarships have individual selection processes:

LAS Abroad Scholarships

LAS International Programs provides LAS Abroad scholarships for LAS students studying abroad on an Illinois-approved program.

Student eligibility

  • Student must be an undergraduate enrolled in the College of LAS at the time of application
  • All LAS undergraduate students are eligible

Scholarship amounts

Scholarship amounts range from $500 to $3,000. Awards are determined based on the cost and length of the study abroad program and availability of funds. Average scholarship amounts are as follows:

  • Short-term (one to eight weeks): $500 to $1,000
  • Semester: $1,500 to $2,000
  • Academic year:$2,000 to $3,000

Scholarship application components

  • Short essay questions
  • Statement of financial need
  • One letter of recommendation from a faculty member or academic advisor

Application deadlines and notification

  • Feb. 15 for summer and fall or academic year programs
  • Sept. 15 for winter break, spring break, and spring semester programs

Students will be notified of scholarship awards around the same time they are notified of acceptance into a program and no later than Feb. 28 or Sept. 30.

Scholarship award requirements

Students must complete the below requirements to remain in good standing and keep their LASA scholarship.

Pre-departure
  • Attend all required pre-departure course meetings, workshops, and orientation sessions. For semester and academic year students, fulfill all LAS 291 requirements.
While abroad
  • Maintain full-time study
  • Bring back equivalent full-time credit hours
  • Semester and academic year students must complete all required LAS 292 requirements
Upon returning to Illinois
  • Complete LAS Program Evaluation
  • Volunteer for your study abroad program. This is a commitment of four hours of volunteer time working with LAS International Programs. Examples of volunteer activities include working at a study abroad fair, helping with info sessions for your study abroad program, or volunteering in the Life + Career Design Lab)
  • Complete final scholarship project—choose from the following options:
    • Write a short essay (500 to 750 words) on the topic of "Now that you have studied abroad, what aspect(s) of your experience do you think will be most impactful on your personal, academic and career paths?"
    • Create a Study Abroad Profile for LAS IP to share on our website, fliers, and other materials. The profile must include the following:
      • Your name, major field of study
      • Study abroad program/host university, city and country
      • Two or three photos from your time abroad, featuring the host university, classrooms/labs, living quarters, host family (if applicable), field experience, program excursions
      • Two quotes (one to three sentences each) about your study abroad experience, covering what you learned about yourself, and your host culture/people, how your study abroad will influence your academic and career plans
Final project deadlines
  • Spring semester or spring break: May 30
  • Summer: Aug. 30
  • Fall semester or winter break: Jan. 30

Email final projects to LAS International Programs by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline.

Selection

Applications are reviewed by an LAS scholarship committee comprised of three professional staff members. Applications are reviewed separately for short-term and semester-based programs.

Preference will be given to applicants who meet the following criteria:

  • Students planning to study on an LAS program
  • Students who have not previously studied abroad
  • Students who clearly articulate how their chosen study abroad program will support their academic and professional goals
  • Students who have not previously received an LAS Abroad scholarship

Scholarship disbursement

LAS will apply scholarships to student accounts as follows:

  • Winter break and fall semester awards: Mid-December
  • Spring break or spring semester awards: Mid-February
  • Summer break: Mid-May 

 

Robert H. Bierma Scholarship

Awarded to rising seniors with outstanding academic merit in History and Political Science. No application is required for consideration. Recipients are selected by departmental scholarship committees.
 

Michael And Susan Haney Stem Education Scholarship

This scholarship supports juniors or seniors who are enrolled in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math) secondary education program.

Apply for a 2020-2021 scholarship during the summer of 2020.

Peter And Susan Schaeffer Scholarship

This scholarship supports juniors or seniors who have some knowledge of the German language, either through his/her family heritage, classes in elementary school or secondary school, or participation in one of the many German-American social organizations.

This scholarship is offered every other year and has been awarded last in fall 2019. Apply for the 2021-2022 scholarship during the summer of 2021.

James Scholar Preble Research Scholarship

Applications for summer 2020 to open after the end of the spring 2020 term. Check LAS Lineup for details. 

The purpose of these funds is to provide incentive and support to outstanding James Scholars involved in undergraduate research (for example, Department Distinction projects, research projects, etc.). Junior and senior certified James Scholars in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are invited to apply.

Scholarships are typically awarded in the amount of $1000, although the Honors Council may adjust the award amount if they deem it to be appropriate for a particular application.

Funds to support travel for research or living expenses that enable dedicated research time will pay to your student account like a typical scholarship.

Applicants are encouraged to work with their PI or research advisor on their application. They're asked to provide the following information via the application:

  • In 300 words or less, provide a description or abstract of your project. Please include information about the significance of this research to a broader audience and the specific methods you will use to carry out the research. Note that the Honors Council consists of representatives from a variety of disciplines. Please take care to provide a project description that can be understood by a broad audience.
  • In 300 words or less, tell us why your project should be funded by the Honors Council. Explain how your research would be enriched by the award, and what the award would support you to do (i.e.travel to present or execute research, provide funding for dedicated research time, etc.).
    • If you request a research travel award, include the details of your travel plan. Requests for travel to participate in a conference are welcome, but travel should relate to the current semester.
    • Examination fees are not regarded as an eligible expense.
    • If you are requesting funds to allow you to have dedicated research time, please address in detail the ways in which your research and experience at Illinois will be enriched by the award.
  • Have you received James Scholar Research Support in the past? If so, how was it used, and why should a second award be funded?
  • For research travel awards, provide an itemized budget of how the funds will be used including costs of transportation and accommodations. Requests for travel to participate in a conference are welcome, but travel should relate to the current semester.
  • If requesting funding for dedicated research time, an itemized budget is not required.
  • Examination fees are not regarded as an eligible expense.
    • No matter how your funds would be spent, please clearly indicate the following on your budget:
      1. any other funding you may be receiving,
      2. how costs exceeding the award will be covered, and
      3. alternative sources should a James Scholar award not be available.
  • Please attach a resume that includes work experience, campus and community activities, and university honors and awards.
  • A letter of reference from the individual advising your research project.

Please note: these scholarships are considered taxable income. What does this mean?

  • All scholarships, fellowships and grants paid to U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Resident Aliens will be reported to the student and the IRS on Form 1098-T for the calendar year in which the payment was made. The University of Illinois System does not report Form 1098-T for Nonresident Aliens unless requested.
  • Scholarships, fellowships and grants for unqualified expenses, i.e. room, board, travel, research, non-mandatory fees, books or supplies, are taxable income (refer student to IRS Publication 970). It is the student’s responsibility to determine and report to the IRS taxable scholarships, fellowships and/or grants received.
  • The student is responsible for reviewing their Financial Aid Award letter and student account billing statement after the scholarship, fellowship or grant has been paid in order to understand the impact of the payment.

Award cycles occur for fall, spring, and summer.

LAS scholarship application

Current LAS undergraduates who will be continuing as full-time students in the next academic year may apply for any of the following scholarships using the LAS scholarship application (students graduating in December may still apply). Additional eligibility criteria is listed with individual scholarships below. Unless otherwise noted, recipients are selected through the rating of two short essays in addition to academic merit and financial need consideration when appropriate.

The application will be open April 1, 2020 for the 2020-2021 academic year. Return here for the application link.

 
Scholarship name Academic merit considered Financial need considered Additional criteria Application notes
Alexandra H. Hauser Scholarship Yes Yes Have a sibling with Down Syndrome or relative with Down Syndrome and demonstrated financial need. Requires an additional 500-word essay on the topic: "My relationship with my relative."
Brendan McGinty and Susan Toalson Scholarship Yes Yes Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Charles C. & Sheila K. Little LAS Scholarship No Yes Must be a graduate of an high school in Illinois. Preference given to students from Piatt County, Illinois.  
Clemens T. and Helen Glotzhober Memorial Scholarship No No Preference for students majoring in biological sciences.  
D.C. Nance Scholarship Yes Yes Students in their third or fourth year.  
Dale Willard and Arlene Jay Robb Endowed Scholarship No No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS  
Diana B. Younger Undergraduate Scholarship Yes Yes Must be a first semester sophomore beginning a second year at Illinois next fall. Have an Illinois cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher. Preference for students who are/have worked to contribute to supporting themselves. Additional essay required: In 250 words or less, talk about your work experience. How has your work experience assisted you in pursuing your education? What have you learned through your work experience?
Dorothy E. Nowlin Endowment Scholarship No No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Evelyn M. Ebbert Scholarship No No Junior or senior students who demonstrate leadership potential in business and entrepreneurship. Preference shall be given to students who are involved with the Society of Women in Business, the Illini Women in Economics, or other student organizations that promote female leadership in business. Additional essay required; 250-500 word essay describing your leadership potential in business and entrepreneurship.
Gary V. Kaiser and Patricia Kaiser Scholarship No No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Jean Crist Weagant and William G. Crist Memorial Scholarship Yes No Students whose permanent residence is in central or western Illinois.  
John Karl Hotuiz Scholarship Yes No Preference for Edwardsville High School graduates.  
Jones-Dow Family Scholarship Yes No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Kevin Allwin Shrote Scholarship Yes No Majoring in physical sciences, with preference for physics majors. Preference also given to U.S. citizens.  
Margaret Dekany Memorial Scholarship Yes Yes Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Nancy Chong Whitman Scholarship No Yes Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Olive Chacey & Alfred L. Kuehn LAS Scholarship Yes Yes For students majoring in the humanities.  
Professor Davis Lazarus Portnoy Memorial Scholarship No No Undergraduate student in LAS in the physics major.  
Sam and Dubey Portnoy Memorial Scholarship No No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Tarrson Family Fund Scholarship No No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Thomas Eakman Scholarship Yes Yes Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
Vera E. Goessling Scholarship No No Pursuing the secondary education minor. Preference for students pursuing certification as public high school librarians.  
Walter and Norma Mann Scholarship Yes No Undergraduate scholarships to students in LAS.  
William L. Wilbur Scholarship Yes No For students majoring in economics.  
Wilmer E. Hellenthal LAS Scholarship Yes No Pursuing pre-medical curriculum. Recipients must not be a child of a member of the Board of Trustees.  
Wirt Family Scholarship Yes Yes Must be an LAS James Scholar.