MyScholarships: Search and Apply for Scholarships

MyScholarships is NIU's campus-wide scholarship application system. In MyScholarships you will be able to apply for multiple competitive scholarships. While the majority of NIU's scholarships can be found in MyScholarships, you should check with your academic department to see if they have any other opportunities not available on the system.

A common deadline for scholarships is January 31. These scholarships are usually awarded for the following academic year. Some scholarships may have later deadlines, however, you are encouraged to complete a general application prior to January 31 each year to be considered for the majority of NIU scholarships. Over winter break is a great time to apply for scholarships!

Getting Started

Using MyScholarships is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Log in using your NIU z-ID and password. You must be admitted toNIU or currently enrolled to access the system.
Fill out the General Application. Once you save your general application, your personal information (applicant record) will be populated. Your applicant record includes name, address, cumulative GPA and hours, major, etc. Based upon the general application and your applicant record, you will automatically be matched to potential scholarship opportunities! You don't need to do anything else, although you are encouraged to check back during the application cycle, especially if changes occur to your record such as your major or GPA.

The General Application consists of three required questions and three optional questions:
- A personal statement (required)
- A brief statement regarding financial need (optional)
- List of activities/service/employment (optional)
- List of honors/awards (optional)
- Two yes/no questions (required)
Save and submit the General Application. Then, depending upon your major and other applicant information, you may be directed to complete a Conditional Application, or you will be directed to Recommended Opportunities.

A Conditional Application must be filled out by students in the College of Business, College of Education, School of Art, School of Music, School of Nursing, School of Theatre and Dance, and the University Honors Program.

Recommended Opportunities will provide a list of potential scholarships. You can read the description, and if the scholarship matches your interests or abilities, just click Apply. Be sure to check back if you change your major, or have an updated GPA.

Troubleshooting

Having trouble logging in? It might be your browser: current versions of Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are supported. There is also limited support for more recent releases of Internet Explorer.

Still Need Help?

Read our frequently asked questions.

Resources for Faculty and Staff

NIU faculty and staff who serve as scholarship administrators must be granted access to MyScholarships. To request access, please contact scholarships@niu.edu.

Helpful tips for faculty and staff:

Administrators will log in with their NIU credentials. If you have more than one role (for example, administrator and reviewer), once you log in you will toggle to the appropriate role in the drop-down menu under your name.
Faculty and staff who serve as reviewers only will log in via the Reference and Reviewers tab, by using your email address and a password of your choice. To access the system again, you must use the same password.
Faculty and staff who serve as references only will log in via the link that was sent in the reference request email. Once in the system, you will create a new password to log in, and then will be able to view all outstanding reference requests. To access the system again, you must use the same password.
If you have both Reference and Review roles, you will need to log in with the email address and the password that was initially created. Once in the system, you will toggle under your email identify shown in the upper right corner of the screen, and choose the role you wish to utilize.

Forgot your password? Click on "Trouble Signing In?" on the References and Reviewers tab, which will link you to complete a password reset.

Once a scholarship award for a student has been posted in MyScholarships, if you want to change anything about this award you must submit a request to the MyScholarships team. This enables our team to monitor awards to ensure accuracy and prevent duplication of efforts.