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From high school to career

Learn more about our application process

“By implementing the values I learned from Chicago Scholars, I hope to be able to create change.”

-Christeena Jojo, Class of 2022 

At Chicago Scholars, college access is just the beginning. We stick with Scholars all the way to their first job or graduate school placement. Along the way, we provide career and leadership development, emergency grants, and more to clear the path to success.

Chicago Scholars are academically ambitious, first-generation college-going students who live and attend high school in Chicago. Scholars don’t just get through college — they build futures where they can truly thrive.

48% of Chicago Public School students finish college in six years

76% of Chicago Scholars graduate from college in six years


GETTING IN

Starting the summer after their junior year of high school, our Scholars

  • Attend our New Scholar Orientation

  • Have 8 one-on-one meetings and 8 group meetings with their college counselor

  • Get matched with a cohort of Scholars and mentors

  • Attend monthly workshops about the college application process

  • Apply to at least 5 colleges that are an academic match, financial fit, and personal fit

  • Attend the Onsite College and Leadership Forum, where they interview with representatives from their top-choice colleges

  • Accept an admissions offer and prepare to matriculate in college

  • Learn about the financial aid process and how to find scholarships

Learn More About Scholarships



KEEP GOING

Once they’re on campus, Scholars can opt in to a wide variety of programming, including:

  • Continued mentorship

  • Career and leadership development opportunities like job shadows, industry panels, and more

  • Support for transfer students

  • Access to emergency grants

  • Opportunities to apply for funding for educational opportunities like study abroad and internships

  • Assistance with finding an internship through our partner organizations
Resources for College Scholars



COLLEGE TO CAREERS

Our unofficial motto is “once a Scholar, always a Scholar,” and we mean it. When Scholars graduate from college, they become Alumni and can access:

  • An extensive network of fellow Alumni and Chicago Scholars supporters

  • Opportunities to support future classes as mentors, volunteers, and career partners

  • An exclusive LinkedIn group and newsletter