The School of Music awards over $250,000 per year in scholarships. This is separate from merit scholarships for incoming students, and School of Music students are strongly encouraged to apply. We offer two different kinds of scholarships:
Scholarships are awarded based on a variety of factors, including academic achievement and financial need. Scholarships do not need to be repaid and are renewed annually, provided you continue to meet the scholarship eligibility criteria.
Scholarships can help offset some of the expenses that come with being a music student, such as:
Log in to MyScholarships to submit your application before the deadline:
You’ll need to update and resubmit your application every year you want to be considered for scholarships.
Once you save and submit your general application, you will automatically be matched to potential scholarship opportunities. The general application consists of two required questions and three additional questions that are optional, though encouraged:
For your conditional application to be complete, you will need to have two references (applied teacher and ensemble instructor) submit a recommendation on your behalf in the MyScholarships system.
The School of Music Scholarship has helped ease the financial burden of school on my family and has allowed me to steer clear of student loans.
There are so many resources for music students out there that people just don’t know about!
My school of music scholarship helped me to afford instrument maintenance and accessory costs. I was able to completely change my violin's set up and get a repair done this semester."
Mary Lynn Doherty, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, School of Music
Chair, Scholarship Committee
mdoherty@niu.edu
Matt Todd
Coordinator, Scholarship Processing
mtodd5@niu.edu