29 Full Ride and Free Tuition Scholarships: Midwest

 
 

Go to College on a FULL RIDE or with FREE TUITION! - Full Ride/Full Tuition Scholarships to Mid-Atlantic Schools

Everyone wants to go to college for free. And guess what - you actually CAN! Seems like a dream come true, right?

There are multiple ways to do this. Some schools have great financial aid policies and guarantee a full ride or full tuition for students from families under a certain income level.  However, this list is only 14 schools long. 

Good news, though! This is the news we have to share in this blogpost - there are also PLENTY of schools that offer merit-based full ride or free tuition scholarships to students that don’t fall into their financial aid income levels. 

The schools included in the other post are listed for their need-based aid - this means that the aid described there is given to ALL of their students. At these schools, with so many exceptional students admitted, it’s more difficult to point out star people to give merit-based scholarships to. And for most of those schools, it’s not necessary to give these scholarships because the school’s brand often is enough of a pull to get students to accept the admission offer.

However, there are many, many more lower-profile (and even some higher-profile!) schools that offer very comparable education to more “elite” universities, just without the name brand, that are looking for star students - like YOU - and want to entice you to accept their offer. That’s where these merit scholarships come into play. If the school sees you as someone that would really add to their campus, they’ll offer you a merit scholarship (based on your achievements).  

This is the secret to going to college on a full ride or with free tuition - make sure to apply to schools that offer these merit scholarships! Don’t discount lower-profile schools; the more your scores and achievements are outside their typical range, the more likely they are to offer a scholarship to you!

This blogpost will provide you ALL the schools (as of July 2020) in the Midwest of the United States (from Ohio to Iowa!) that offer these merit-based scholarships:

 
 

  1. Carthage College (Kenosha, Wisconsin)

    1. Presidential Scholarship Program: Offers scholarships ranging from $25,000 to full tuition. Students must submit an application for admission and a separate scholarship application, which is available October 2020.

  2. Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa)

    1. National Alumni Scholarships: This program offers two full ride scholarships and three full tuition scholarships. National Alumni Scholars are selected on high school achievement, extracurricular and community activities, and leadership and communication skills. Applicants must have an ACT score of at least 31 or an SAT score of at least 1390, and rank in the top 5% of their class and/or have a GPA of 3.8 or above. The application opens in fall of 2020, and applicants must participate in one of the two National Alumni Scholarship Days.

  3. Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, Illinois)

    1. Camras Scholars Program: Offers full tuition. In order to be eligible, students must be a full-time student, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and must demonstrate outstanding academics, involvement in extracurriculars, and dedication to leadership. No additional scholarship application is necessary.

    2. Crown Scholarship: Offers a full tuition scholarship for five years of study from Illinois Tech’s College of Architecture. This scholarship is open only to incoming freshmen, and U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Selections are based on academic achievement, artistic skills, and involvement in extracurricular activities demonstrating leadership and independence. Applicants should complete the Common Application and submit an essay, creative work portfolio, and a letter of recommendation by November 15.

    3. Duchossois Leadership Scholars Program: Offers full tuition, room and board, summer educational experiences, a fall retreat, and mentoring. Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.5 and SAT/ACT scores in the top 10% nationally, and a household income level of under $200,000. A supplemental application along with the regular application must be completed, which is due November 15.

    4. M. A. and Lila Self Leadership Academy Scholarship: Covers full tuition the first year, and after that, students must cover the following years’ annual increase in tuition. This scholarship is awarded to top applicants to the university that demonstrate exceptional leadership potential.

  4. Indiana University Bloomington (Bloomington, Indiana)

    1. Wells Scholars Program: Offers tuition, fees, a living-expenses stipend, a summer experience grant, and support for overseas study. Selections are based on academic accomplishment, character and leadership, involvement in extracurriculars, and interest in the community and larger world. Students are nominated by Indiana high schools and selected out of state high schools, as well as by the Office of Admissions.

  5. Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)

    1. Merit Scholarships: Miami University offers guaranteed merit scholarships to qualified high school students. To qualify for half to full tuition scholarships, students must have at least a score of 33 on the ACT or a 1450 on the SAT and a 3.5 GPA. The merit scholarship guarantee’s priority deadline for admission is December 1. 

    2. Presidential Fellows Program: Offers full tuition, fees, room and board, and a one-time $5,000 academic enrichment stipend. Students will be reviewed based on their overall admission application and supplemental essay, which is due on November 1.

    3. Stamps Scholarship: Offers full tuition, fees, room and board, and up to $10,000 to support academic pursuits. Students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, service, and innovation are selected.

  6. Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan)

    1. Alumni Distinguished Scholarship: Offers tuition, fees, room and board, and $1,000 annually to 15 students annually. This scholarship is based on intellectual performance and participation in the MSU Alumni Distinguished Scholarship competition.

    2. Distinguished Freshman Scholarship: Offers full tuition and fees to 20 runners-up from the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship competition.

  7. Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio)

    1. Stamps Scholarship: Offers full tuition, fees, and a $5,000 enrichment fund. All admitted students are considered.

  8. The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)

    1. Eminence Fellows Scholarship: Offers the full cost of attendance and a $3,000 enrichment grant. Selections are based on strong standardized test scores, GPA, class rank, and demonstrated commitment to a cause. Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents can apply, and applications must be completed by the November 15 Early Action deadline.

    2. Morrill Scholarship Program: Offers three levels of scholarship, ranging from the value of the cost of attendance, the value of tuition, and the value of in-state tuition. This scholarship is designated for academically talented high school seniors who engage in leadership and diversity involvement. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and should apply by the November 15 early action deadline. 

    3. Land Grant Opportunity Scholarship: Offers the full cost of attendance to 176 Ohio students each year. Ohio residents who are Pell-eligible, demonstrate academic merit, and apply by February 1 are eligible.

  9. Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana)

    1. Stamps Scholarship: Offers the full education costs of a bachelor’s degree and up to a $10,000 enrichment fund to incoming freshmen. Students must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible. Applications are invitation only, and interested students should apply to the university by November 1st. 

  10. Saint Louis University (Saint Louis, Missouri)

    1. Presidential Scholarship: Offers tuition. Students need a 3.85 GPA and SAT score of at least 1360 or ACT score of 30 to be eligible. The scholarship and freshman admission applications must be submitted by December 1.

  11. University of Illinois (Champaign, Illinois)

    1. James Hunter Anthony & Gerald E. Blackshear Endowment: Offers full tuition and fees to incoming freshmen who have graduated from an Illinois high school. 

    2. Provost Scholarship: Offers full tuition to incoming freshmen.

    3. Stamps Scholarship: Offers the full cost of attendance and an enrichment fund to incoming freshmen.

  12. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

    1. Stamps Scholarship: This scholarship awards full tuition and potential enrichment funding of up to $10,000, and is renewable annually for four years of undergraduate study. Stamps Scholars are selected from students admitted through Early Action, and the selection process is based on GPA, SAT/ACT scores, difficulty of coursework, exceptional talent, innovation, leadership, awards, service, and commitment to community.

  13.  University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana)

    1. Stamps Scholarship: Offers full tuition, fees, $3k yearly from an enrichment fund, and a faculty mentor to 10 admitted students each year who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, and innovation. Candidates are selected from the top 5% of the admitted pool.

  14. University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, Wisconsin)

    1. Chancellor’s Scholarship: This scholarship offers full tuition, a book stipend of $400 per semester, and other benefits, which is renewable for four years. Selected students excel academically and have other skills. Students must be incoming freshmen and a U.S. citizen, have a 3.0/4.0 GPA, and must be socioeconomically disadvantaged or of a qualifying race/ethnicity.

    2. Powers-Knapp Scholarship: This scholarship offers full tuition for WI and MN residents or tuition remission for non-residents, which is renewable for four years. Selected students excel academically and have other skills. Students must be incoming freshmen and a U.S. citizen, have a 3.0/4.0 GPA, and must be socioeconomically disadvantaged or of a qualifying race/ethnicity.

  15. Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)

    1. Danforth Scholars Program: Offers full-tuition scholarships and a $2,500 stipend to students with a passion for helping others and have demonstrated community and service leadership. The application is due January 2, 2020.

    2. Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program: Same requirements and deadlines as the Danforth Scholars Program.

    3. John B. Ervin Scholars Program: Same requirements and deadlines as the Danforth Scholars Program.

    4. Stamps Scholarship: Offers annual awards that cover tuition, room and board, fees, books, and additional enrichment funds.

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Full Rides, ScholarshipsAllison PyoArticle