The University of Chicago (UChicago) — ranked #21 in the QS World University Rankings 2025 — offers a broad range of funded scholarships for undergraduate students starting in the 2027-28 academic year. UChicago provides substantial financial aid packages covering tuition, living expenses, and other costs, aimed at making its highly selective education accessible across a wide range of financial circumstances.
It's worth reading the scholarship list carefully before applying: while the programme overall is listed as open to all nationalities, several of the named scholarships below are specifically tied to Chicago-area residency, US public service families, or US veteran status, rather than being open to any applicant worldwide.
About the University of Chicago
Founded in 1890, UChicago is a private research university with 7,470 undergraduate students enrolled as of fall 2022. The Wall Street Journal ranked it 2nd in the Chicago region and 14th overall for Best Overall College.
Scholarships and Financial Benefits
- University Scholarship — partial tuition coverage for four years
- First Phoenix Scholarship — $20,000 over four years, for first-generation college students
- Police and Fire Scholarship — full-tuition waiver for four years, for children of professional, active-duty, or killed-on-duty municipal, county, or state police officers and firefighters
- Odyssey Scholarship Program — for students from under-resourced families or first-generation college attendees
- Neubauer Adelante Family Programs — for students engaged with Hispanic/Latino communities
- UChicago Promise — financial support for students from the Chicagoland area
- Chicago Public Schools Students — full-tuition waiver for four years, for outstanding CPS graduates
- Chicago Public Schools Educators — full-tuition waiver for four years, for children of active full-time CPS teachers and school-based staff
- Partner Schools — full-tuition waiver for four years, for exceptional students from specific partner high schools (UChicago Charter School Woodlawn Campus, Nicholas Senn High School, Providence St. Mel School, Kenwood Academy High School)
- City Colleges of Chicago — first-year tuition scholarships for deserving City Colleges of Chicago graduates
- Evans Scholarship — full housing and tuition scholarships for caddies
- Trott Scholar — four-year scholarship for outstanding full-time students from rural communities
- Veterans — UChicago participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program
Note: most of the scholarships above are tied to specific US residency, school, or service connections (Chicagoland residency, Chicago Public Schools, US police/fire families, US veterans). Applicants outside the US are more likely to be considered under the general University Scholarship and standard need-based financial aid, rather than these targeted awards.
External and Additional Funding
- Third-Party Scholarships — the Financial Aid Office maintains a list of outside scholarship opportunities students are encouraged to apply for
- RaiseMe — through this partnership, students can earn micro-scholarships based on high school academic and extracurricular achievement, applied toward tuition costs
Internship Awards
- President's Scholar — $5,000 for each of two summers before the second, third, or fourth year, for a research project, internship, or graduate-level course, rewarding academic and leadership achievement
- Dean's Scholar — the same $5,000-per-summer structure and eligibility as the President's Scholar award
Documents Required
- Application for Admission
- Supplemental essays
- Application fee or automatic fee waiver
- Secondary school report and transcript
- Two teacher evaluations
- Standardized test scores (test-optional, if requested)
- Educational transcript (for transfer applicants)
- English language proficiency test scores (for international applicants)
- Midyear report (for first-year applicants)
- Application for Financial Aid
- Recommended video profile
- Optional supplemental materials (art, creative, research, or other supplements)
Application Deadline
Not specified in this listing. Applicants should check the University of Chicago's official admissions calendar directly for current Early Decision/Early Action and Regular Decision deadlines, since these change by admissions cycle.
How to Apply
- Submit your application for admission to the University of Chicago
- Complete required financial aid forms, such as the CSS Profile and FAFSA (US applicants) or the equivalent international aid forms
- Check the specific requirements for each scholarship programme you're interested in, as some require additional documents
- Complete a separate application for each scholarship you wish to be considered for
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