Frequently Asked Questions

Students can apply for both internal and external scholarships. Scholarships are awarded for academic excellence, strong leadership, service to your community and/ or artistic talent. There are many scholarship opportunities for DePaul students in a wide range of academic fields (e.g. study abroad, public service, international affairs, natural and social sciences, education, humanities). And, yes, DePaul students can win national scholarship competitions.  In the three years from 2014-2016, fourteen DePaul students were offered a Fulbright award.

Internal scholarships are awarded to students by the university. Each year, DePaul awards more than $24 million in scholarships. You can find out more about which internal scholarships you could qualify for based on your student type on the main DePaul scholarship page.

External scholarships are offered by organizations and foundations outside of DePaul. Many of them are open to all US citizens, which is why they are often referred to as National Scholarships.  Some of the best resources for scholarships are organizations with which you or your family is associated (for example, parent’s employer, ethnic heritage groups, Kiwanis club, nonprofit volunteer organizations, community organizations, high schools). You can research these opportunities on scholarship search websites (e.g. ProFellow Blog). Keep in mind that you should never pay a fee for scholarship search assistance.

In addition, there are a number of DePaul donor-funded scholarships -- DePaul Scholarship Connect lists external scholarships that have been sent to our Office of Financial Aid. The National Scholarships tab on the left also lists a number of fellowship opportunities.

Featured scholarships are a subset of National Scholarships.  Featured Scholarships, such as Fulbright, are among the most commonly-applied to National Scholarships.  They also typically require review by DePaul prior to submission.  If you apply for a Featured Scholarship, you should work closely with the DePaul Scholarship Adviser.

Many colleges within DePaul offer scholarships to their students.  For instance, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences offers the Summer Undergraduate Resarch Grant (SURG).  For more information, take a look at your college or school’s website:

LAS
SCPS
Law
Music
Communication
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Driehaus
Kellstadt
Education

Yes, the Fulbright Scholarship and other national awards fund international and/or post-graduate study. See more here.

Scholarships are awarded and do not have to be paid back. Students who plan to fund their education through federal loans should complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). DePaul's Financial Aid Office will create a financial aid package based on your FAFSA information.

Yes.

Scholarship result times vary, but results typically become available to students within 6-8 weeks after the scholarship application deadline. All students are notified via e-mail. Applicants may log in to Scholarship Connect to view the status of their applications, which will show whether their application has been selected to receive an award, or reviewed but not selected. All applicants are notified of their result no matter the outcome of their application.

Once award recipients manually accept their scholarship on Scholarship Connect, the award will be distributed to their accounts within 10 business days. The award can contribute toward an account balance or be refunded. Students are responsible for initiating the refund. To do so, please contact Student Financial Accounts.

It will be released to you after the last day to drop classes for the quarter without penalty, if you are registered for 6 undergraduate credit hours or for 4 graduate credit hours.

The Office of Financial Aid usually processes them before the deadline to drop classes without tuition penalty. After that date, you should see the award in your Campus Connect account.

Applications are reviewed through the start of the quarter and any scholarship offer will come via email.

If you are interested in the program and have a strong academic record, then, yes, you should still apply. But you need to start the application process immediately. Your research plan and essays will require multiple drafts and so the sooner your start, the better.

While programs like Fulbright, Boren, and Rhodes are very competitive, and some have minimum GPA requirements, your GPA is not the only criterion. In fact, if you look at the "Selection Criteria" section of the Fulbright Scholarship page, you will notice that GPA is not listed among selection criteria. Your academic record is important, but it is not the sole factor determining your competitiveness. An interesting, feasible plan of study is critical, as are your letters of recommendation. If you work closely with faculty advisers and the DePaul Scholarship Adviser, you can submit a strong application.