Scholarships

We encourage you to apply for scholarships to help pay for your NIU education. Scholarships do not need to be repaid and are awarded based on a variety of factors, including academic achievement and financial need.

Merit Scholarships

When you apply for admission to NIU, you’ll automatically be considered for merit scholarships. You must apply for admission and submit all required documents by the following priority deadlines to be considered for merit scholarships:

October 1: For spring admission

December 1: For summer or fall admission (freshmen)

March 1: For summer or fall admission (transfer students)

Other NIU Scholarships

You can search and apply for most other NIU scholarships using our online system. The deadline for many of these scholarships is January 31. Learn more about how to apply in MyScholarships.

If you’re a student-athlete, you may be interested in athletic scholarship opportunities.

Outside Scholarships

We encourage you to apply for scholarships offered by organizations other than NIU. Check with personal and professional contacts, such as your high school guidance counselor or your employer, to discover scholarships opportunities. Learn more about finding outside scholarships.

Huskie Spotlight

Josh Helsper

I also came here because there were a lot of really great scholarship opportunities that were presented to me that I could not have gotten through any other university.

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