CHA Scholarship Program

Soldier Field Visit

BEYOND CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO, DOES CHA OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS TO 2 & 4 YEAR COLLEGES? 

The 2024-2025 Scholarship Application is open! CHA will award 125 scholarships of $2,000 Apply today! The application deadline is May 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time Zone. For more details, view the full FAQ here.

Award Details

  • Up to 125 scholarships of $2,000 will be awarded annually and awards are not renewable. Students may reapply each year as long as they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
  • The scholarships will be applied to tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment required for course load at accredited, two* or four-year colleges/universities in the United States.
  • CHA Scholarship Funds may not be applied to any past debt with your institution.
  • *CHA Scholarship Funds may be used at any accredited community college except the City Colleges of Chicago, as additional funding support for CCC students is provided through the CHA/City Colleges of Chicago Partners in Education program. CHA residents attending City Colleges of Chicago are not eligible to receive the CHA Scholarship and need not apply.
  • *If you are interested in funding support for a vocational or technical program – please consider the CHA/City Colleges of Chicago program. The Chicago Housing Authority has a partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago, wherein students receive assistance with unmet costs related to tuition, uniforms, books and exam fees, after financial aid is applied. To learn more about this program, please visit Partners in Education Program.
  • Students may transfer from one institution to another and retain the award.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this award, you must:

  • be a high school senior or be in your college undergraduate studies as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. • be pursuing your Undergraduate degree (such as a Certificate, Associates, or Bachelors). Advanced degree studies (such as Masters, Doctorate) are no longer eligible for program support.
  • plan to attend an accredited, non-profit, or for-profit, two- or four-year college/university in the United States in the fall of 2024.
  • be a current resident in either the Chicago Housing Authority’s Public Housing Program or the Chicago Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program; be currently listed on a CHA lease.
  • have a minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale to apply; a minimum GPA of 2.5 is recommended.
  • have a household income that does not exceed HUD’s low-income limit (80% AMI) for Cook County, Illinois. CHA will verify. For more information, visit HUD's website.

No exceptions will be made.

Selection Criteria

An independent selection committee will evaluate the Complete applications and select recipients considering:

  • Academic achievements and records
  • Community involvement
  • Essay content

Program Timeline

  • Application Open: January 30, 2024
  • Application Deadline: May 15, 2024
  • Notification of Selection Results: July 5, 2024
  • Funds Disbursed: July 31, 2024

Apply here.

Decisions of the selection committee are final and are not subject to appeal. No application feedback will be given.

For questions about the CHA Scholarship, please email education@thecha.org or call (312) 786-3409

Document
2024-25 CHA Scholarship FAQs
Document Publish Date

Application Details & Required Documents

Your funds will be issued via one (1) check in early August. Your check will be made payable to your institution listed on your My Profile page only. Your scholarship check cannot be made payable to you, the applicant. The check will be mailed to your home address so that you may deliver it to the correct office at your institution. You will receive an email notification once your funds have been issued.

Make sure your My Profile page indicates your final college choice. It is your responsibility to make sure your My Profile page is correct at least 30 days prior to the check issue date listed above. If your scholarship check needs to be reissued for any reason, a reissue fee may apply. Please see the eligible school information above if you are not sure if your school is eligible.

You should list your first-choice school on the application. You can change your college choice any time prior to the application deadline. If selected as a recipient, you will be asked to confirm your final school choice. If your school changes after the acceptance deadline, you will be able to update this information on your My Profile page.

Official transcripts must be obtained through your high school administration office, or your college registrar office. Transcripts are normally printed on official letterhead and/or state that they are official. Transcripts may contain or require a signature.


Note: Your official transcript may come to you in a sealed envelope, stating it will become unofficial if opened. When scanning or copying your official transcripts, a watermark may appear noting that they are now unofficial. Despite any watermarks or sealed envelopes, you may open the envelope if needed to upload the document. These documents will be considered official for our purposes. Acceptable file types are .pdf, .tif, .png, .jpeg, .jpg, .bmp and .xps. When scanning or copying, you do not need to include a copy of the sealed envelope.


Unofficial transcripts may be accessed through your school’s online student portal. These pages must still be converted to one of the acceptable file formats. Unofficial transcripts must contain your name.

  • ACT/SAT Test Scores: Optional.
  • 2024-25 FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR): Optional.
  • High School Transcript: Incoming College Freshmen only.
  • College/University Transcript: Incoming College Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.

All required supporting documents must be uploaded to your online application by the application deadline. If you do not follow the upload instructions exactly, your application may remain incomplete. Documents that meet the criteria required for this application that are uploaded by the deadline will be processed and considered on time.

For more information on submitting your documents, view the full FAQ here.

Notifications

Notifications are sent primarily via email to the email you used to create your account. Some programs offer text and voice notifications. Ultimately, it is your responsibility as the applicant to verify your application status on your Home page is Complete.

  • Deadline Reminders: Deadline reminder emails typically begin 30-45 days prior to the application deadline.
  • Selection Results: Selection results notifications are sent to all Complete applicants.
  • Funds Disbursed: Once your funds have been issued, you will be notified.
  • Other Scholarships: Occasionally, if you meet the requirements for another scholarship administered by ISTS, you will be notified. These notifications are not guaranteed.

Your information is never sold to any third party for marketing purposes.

You will receive notifications from two (2) possible ISTS email addresses: donotreply@applyISTS.com and ContactUs@applyISTS.com. You should add both of these email addresses to your “safe senders list” to ensure important emails are not sent to your spam or junk folder.

Notifications vary by program based on the Program timeline. Refer to the Program timeline listed above for more specific information. Typically, deadline reminder emails typically begin 30-45 days prior to the application deadline.

While you can opt out of notifications, this is not advised. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure your application is Complete. If you opt out of notifications, you will not receive deadline reminders and selection results or other important reminders. Your information is never sold to any third party. The only emails you will receive from ISTS are directly related to your application and, possibly, other scholarship opportunities.

Please Note

If you are enrolled or plan to enroll in one of the Chicago City Colleges, CHA has a separate partnership directly with City Colleges that will allow CHA residents to attend their colleges for little or no cost, after financial aid is applied. Due to this special agreement, CHA residents attending one of the City Colleges of Chicago are not eligible to receive the CHA Scholarship and need not apply. If you would like further information on CHA’s partnership with Chicago City Colleges, please click here.