Outside Scholarships

In addition to any federal, state, or internal scholarships from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), we suggest that students explore outside scholarships as an additional source of funding for their education well in advance of the term for which the funding is desired. Outside scholarship payment and relevant criteria should be sent directly to the Student Financial Services office.

Student or Parent Affiliations

We recommend beginning the process as early as 12–14 months in advance of the term for which the funding is desired. Start by asking questions and researching organizations you and/or your parents belong to and professional, religious, and community affiliations you may have to inquire about scholarship availability.

Online Scholarship Search Sites

Below are some suggested websites that offer online scholarship searches based on profile information provided by the student:

CollegeBoard.org

StudentAid.gov/scholarships

Scholarshippoints.com

CareerOneStop - US Department of Labor's FREE scholarship search tool

Fastweb

Affordablecollegesonline.org - An extensive list of graduate school scholarships for LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, veterans, and women

GoodCall                                                                                                

Cappex

Petersons

Collegexpress

Sallie Mae

Scholly.com

Scholarships.com

Niche.com

StudentScholarshipSearch

Unigo

College-Scholarships.com

ScholarshipOwl.com

Bold.org

Studentscholarships.org

Chegg.com

UNCF - Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students

SFS Facebook and Twitter

Follow the Student Financial Services Facebook and Twitter pages to see listings of different outside scholarships as they are shared with SAIC throughout the year. 

Outside scholarship details are made available only for informational purposes and are not endorsed by SAIC or the SAIC Student Financial Services office.

Outside Scholarship Lists

SAIC staff members have researched the list of outside scholarships below for scholarship information for which you may qualify. This information was gathered by conducting a scholarship search through one or more of the online scholarship searches pages, as well as information received by SAIC from organizations offering scholarships. It is not limited to organizations through which SAIC students have received funding.

Outside Scholarship Processing and Instructions

Students receiving grants, scholarships, or awards from a source other than SAIC must notify the Student Financial Services office of these awards.

The notification to SAIC should include:

  • name of the organization sending the funds,
  • name and telephone number of the contact person at the organization
  • dollar amount the student will receive


Students should inform the organization sending the funds to SAIC that their name and student ID number should appear on all correspondence related to the scholarship, grant, or award. 

To avoid a delay in processing, please send information and/or payments to the Student Financial Services office and NOT to the Bursar's Office. 

Payments and correspondence should be sent to:
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Student Financial Services
36 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60603 

SAIC is required by law to consider these awards as a part of the student's financial aid package. It may be necessary for SAIC to adjust the award package to meet federal, state, and institutional awarding policies. Scholarship letters that provide detailed information will allow the amount to be listed as "Anticipated Aid" on the student's bills and statements. This will decrease the amount due (if any) to SAIC before classes start. 

Please note that generally, gift aid (traditionally grants, scholarships, and any other aid that does not have to be repaid) may not exceed tuition each semester.