Igniting Paths to Student Success Scholarship

The Igniting Paths to Student Success Scholarship is a Donor Sponsored Scholarships awarded through the Educational Foundation. The scholarship is a one-year award that will be applied to students' accounts. The Ignite Scholarship is only awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria detailed below. Students must meet additional requirements to remain eligible to receive the award for the Spring Semester.

Ignite eligibility criteria

After submitting the General Scholarship Application, students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the Ignite Scholarship:

New and returning student with financial need, who is working toward a degree or certificate program.
Must be enrolled full or part-time with at least 6 credit hours in Fall and Spring. There are some exceptions for students enrolled in Limited Enrollment and Fast Track programs.
Limited to Harper in-district and Business EdVantage students.
Preference given to underrepresented/minority students.*
Open to students in all academic areas.
- Preference may be given to newly enrolled students pursuing these academic fields: Health Careers, Career and Technical Programs, STEM, or Business/Entrepreneurship Programs.

*Underrepresented/minority students is identified per Illinois Statue: Pursuant to Section 9.16 of the Board of Higher Education Act, "underrepresented" citizens or resident aliens are defined as persons who are minorities, including African American, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, women, persons with disabilities, and students identified as first-generation college participants.

Distribution

Students will be awarded $1,500 to their student account for tuition and fees for Fall semester. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours by Monday, August 10, 2026. Failure to enroll by the deadline will result in the cancellation of the scholarship award.
Students must meet the Ignite criteria for Spring semester renewal detailed below to continue to receive the scholarship. If a student does not meet the criteria, the scholarship will be removed for Spring semester.
The Ignite scholarship is a set amount of $1,500. Any expenses incurred over that amount must be covered by the student.
The scholarship is refundable. This means any amount that is remaining after your tuition and fees can be refunded to you. Refunds are processed by the Business Office after the second week of classes. The scholarship cannot rollover to another academic year and must be used during the academic year it is awarded.

Ignite Scholarship Orientation

Scholarship recipients will receive a link to register for a mandatory Orientation in the fall semester. An online version will be available for students who are unable to attend.

Orientation will cover the following information:

Scholarship requirements such as GPA, advisor meetings, credit enrollments, etc.
Renewal criteria for Spring semester
Harper Student Support Services
Any questions about the scholarship

It is the student's responsibility to complete the requirements of their scholarship. If you have any questions, please email scholars@harpercollege.edu.

Ignite criteria for Spring semester renewal

Students must meet all the criteria below to have their scholarship renewed for Spring semester. Students will receive an email at the beginning of January about their Spring eligibility.

Maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.0. Semester GPA will be checked when grades are posted at the end of Fall semester.
Have an academic plan on file and meet with an academic advisor in the Summer or Fall semester by Friday, December 11, 2026. Academic plan verification is based on proof of academic advisor visit.
Enroll and successfully complete a minimum of 6 credit hours (exceptions made for Limited Enrollment or Fast Track students).
- Students with an F grade will not have those credits count towards their completion credits for the Ignite criteria. Based on Harper handbook policies under satisfactory academic progress: Successfully completed credit hours include the following grades: A, B, C, D, AR, BR, CR, DR, P and PR
- Repeated courses that are passed with a D or better will count toward the completed credits. Repeated coursework will only count toward the Ignite scholarship criteria if the student has not successfully completed the course in the past.
- Students enrolled in a Fast Track program or Limited Enrollment program must follow their academic plan with their advisor. These students will still be eligible for the scholarship if they are enrolled in less than 6 credit hours. However, they still must complete the credit hours they enrolled in to renew their scholarship for Spring semester.

Failure to meet the criteria will result in the scholarship being removed from the student’s account and the responsibility of any charges for spring semester are of the student. No appeals.

Who to contact

Advising — If you have advising questions please contact Advising. New students call 847.925.6208. Current students call 847.925.6220.

Eligibility — If you have questions about your scholarship eligibility, please email the Educational Foundation Scholarships at scholars@harpercollege.edu

Registration — If you need help registering for classes, please contact One Stop at 847.925.6710.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

I cannot meet the 6 credit hour requirement. Can I still use the scholarship if I am not enrolled in 6 credit hours?

Unless you are in a Limited Enrollment or Fast Track program, you must take 6 credit hours in order to receive the scholarship. Failure to meet the minimum credit hour enrollment will result in the scholarship not being applied to your tuition and fees and you will be ineligible to receive the scholarship in the spring semester. Students that are in Fast Track or Limited Enrollment programs must follow their academic plan.

I was in-district fall semester, but am now out-of-district spring semester. Will I still be able to keep my Ignite scholarship for spring semester?

Yes, but only in-district tuition will be paid using your Ignite Scholarship. The student will be responsible for paying the remaining cost of out-of-district tuition. You can qualify for in-district tuition if you work in-district by filling out a Business EdVantage form or if you have a Joint Agreement from your community college.

Can I receive the Ignite scholarship for a second year?

The scholarship is not renewable and will only be awarded for one academic year (fall and spring). However, you can apply for other donor-sponsored scholarships. The application opens on March 1^st for the following year.

Will Ignite be awarded in the summer semester?

No, the scholarship is awarded only for fall and spring semester.

I have a question that is not on this website, who do I contact?

Please email Donor Sponsored Scholarships at scholars@harpercollege.edu. They will answer your question or direct you to the correct department.