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Igniting Paths to Success Scholarship

Igniting Paths to Success Scholarship is one of our Donor Sponsored Scholarships awarded through the Educational Foundation. The Igniting Paths to Success Scholarship is an academic year scholarship that will be applied to students' accounts. Students must meet the scholarship criteria to remain eligible for the spring semester.

Ignite eligibility

Students who applied to the General Scholarship Application and met the criteria below were selected for this scholarship.

• New and returning students with financial need, who are working toward a degree or certificate program.
• Must be enrolled full or part-time (at least 6 credit hours in fall and spring, some exceptions for limited Enrollment and Fast Track students).
• 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 minoirities, 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 meet the Ignite criteria below to have the scholarship renewed for Spring semester.
• 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 refundable to students which 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 and are sent as checks to your home address or direct deposit (if you have set it up on your My Harper Portal). 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 an online Orientation (multiple dates available) mid-July. A link to the virtual meeting will be sent a week before the event. This is a mandatory Virtual Orientation covering:

• • Scholarship requirements
  • Renewal criteria for Spring semester
  • Any questions about the scholarship

If you are not available during the scheduled sessions due to work or class schedule, you still need to fill out the registration form and select the option stating "I work/have class during the mandatory scholarship orientation" in the registration options. You will be contacted by email to schedule your Scholarship Orientation at a different time. 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 5. 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)