Columbia Central

Chicago STAR Scholarship

for incoming transfer students

The Chicago STAR Scholarship was established to recognize students who graduate with an Associate Degree from City Colleges of Chicago STAR Scholar Program.

• How to be Considered
  
  No separate application is required.

  • To be considered, please email your full name and the name of the college where you earned your Associate Degree to admissions@colum.edu.  In the subject of the email, please write “Chicago STAR Scholarship Consideration.”
• How To Secure Your Scholarship

  To secure your scholarship for the Fall 2026 semester, please complete all of the following steps by the deadlines stated below:

  • By May 1, 2026:Confirm that you will be attending Columbia College Chicago by paying your $250 tuition deposit.
    
  • By July 1, 2026: Submit any missing documents that are required to secure your financial aid. To review if you have any missing documents, log into MyColumbia (my.colum.edu), click on MyFinancials, and click on Missing Documents after December 1, 2025. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact Columbia Central by phone at 312-369-7140, or chat live with us at colum.edu/columbia-central.
  • By August 15, 2026: Register full-time for Fall 2026 courses. After you pay your $250 tuition deposit, you will receive information on completing course registration. Please note, your scholarship offer is valid only if you begin attendance in the Fall 2026 term.
  • Once you register, you will receive a bill that itemizes your tuition and fees. If any portion of your bill is not covered by secured financial aid or a secured third-party payment, you must either pay that amount in full or establish an automated payment plan by, or within seven days of registration if you register for classes after August 1. Payment plan information is available at colum.edu/paymentplan.

   

   

• Scholarship Terms
  • The Chicago STAR Scholarship is renewable each year up to 120 attempted credit hours. The total credit hours include all transferrable college credit hours, Advanced Placement credit hours, CLEP credit hours, and credit hours earned at other colleges and universities under dual enrollment. For the scholarship to be renewable, the recipient must:
    • be enrolled full-time each Fall and Spring semester
    • not interrupt enrollment
    • Meet the terms of Columbia's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, including maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and a 67% completion rate of all credits attempted.
      *Please note: Freshmen will need to enroll an average of 15 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester to graduate within four years.
  • The attempted credit hour limit is not based on degree completion, and the same limit applies to students pursuing double majors
  • Students who interrupt their enrollment or enroll less than full-time will forfeit any remaining scholarship funds
  • Recipients of the Chicago STAR Scholarship are not eligible to receive any other institutional merit-based scholarships for incoming students; however, they remain eligible for consideration for the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship.
  • Scholarship is applied toward tuition only
  • Funds are awarded during Fall and Spring semesters only
  • Scholarship may be used toward a study abroad program through one of Columbia's student exchange programs, excluding Summer sessions. Please note: Recipients who enroll in an independent study abroad program not associated with Columbia will forfeit their scholarship during the semester spent abroad but will retain future eligibility if all other scholarship terms are met
  • Scholarship is based on academic and financial need information provided to the college at the time of admission. Any subsequent, additional or clarifying data that significantly alters this information may make a recipient ineligible to receive this scholarship
  • The rules governing other sources of financial aid (federal, state, institutional and other grants, gifts, or loans) will apply