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After you have completed the acceptance process, the funds are transferred into your account by the financial aid office prior to the beginning of the semester for which they were awarded.  Scholarship awards are transferred 10 days prior to the start of the semester.  This date is subject to change. You can review any changes to this schedule by visiting the 鈥渓ist of important dates鈥� on the Financial Aid web page.

No. Foundation scholarships are intended for use in the semester for which they were awarded. Any unused funds will not be automatically forwarded to a future semester. Instead, they will be returned to the Foundation.  Students are encouraged to contact the Foundation, as soon as possible, if they foresee their award not being used or only partially used.

Foundation Scholarships are private scholarships made available by the generosity of donors. Scholarships are gifts and do not have to be paid back by the student. Students may receive this funding in addition to financial aid and other monetary support.

The Spring 2026 deadline is Wedesday, October 15, 2025. Students are encouraged to visit the system early in the application process to review various scholarship requirements and strategize a submission plan including drafting essays, requesting letters of recommendation, etc.

The general application gathers basic information to help the system match applicants to scholarship opportunities. Completion of the general application is the required, first step to progress through the system. Once completed, you will be encouraged to apply to scholarships presented in a list of 鈥渞ecommended opportunities.鈥�. Your application will automatically be submitted to all scholarships for which you qualify, that do not require any additional information. You can 鈥渧iew鈥� these on your "My Application" dashboard. They are listed as 鈥淪ubmitted鈥� applications.

Yes. We have several scholarships that are designated for incoming students. Perform a keyword search for 鈥渋ncoming鈥� or 鈥渆nrolling鈥� to see what opportunities are available.

The Foundation works directly with Financial Aid to post scholarship funds to student accounts. Cash and direct payment to scholarship recipients will not be made. Scholarship funds can be used for tuition and program materials.

This means that after completing the general application, the system will search for scholarship opportunities where all criteria has been met for submission. If the applicant meets all qualification criteria and submission of additional questions or essays is not required, then the system will submit on the applicant鈥檚 behalf. You can see all scholarships that have been 鈥渁utomatically鈥� submitted by visiting the 鈥淢y Applications鈥� dashboard and selecting the scholarships with a 鈥淰iew鈥� label.

Applicants may start an application and revisit the system later to complete. Use the 鈥淪ave and Keep Editing鈥� button at the bottom of the application.

Students may edit or update an application until the Spring 2026 deadline of October 15, 2025. To update applications that have already been submitted select scholarships labeled 鈥渦pdate鈥� on your My Applications dashboard. To edit scholarships that are drafted select 鈥渇inish鈥� on your My Applications dashboard. Submitted applications will not be reviewed until after the application deadline.

Reference requests or letters of recommendation are managed through the application system. On the general application, students can provide the name and email address of the individual whom they would like to request a reference. This individual will receive an email with instructions on how to upload a letter of recommendation on behalf of the applicant. You can track the progress of submitted letters of recommendation by visiting the 鈥淢y Application鈥� dashboard. Please check that all reference email addresses listed are accurate.

The recommended opportunities list is a curated list of scholarships for which you are 鈥渕ost qualified鈥� based on the answers supplied during the general application process. In some instances, scholarships for which an applicant is interested, and believe they meet the criteria, may not appear. You can still apply to any interested scholarship by visiting the 鈥淥pportunities鈥� tab at the top of the page, scroll to 鈥淥urs,鈥� and the complete list of scholarships will appear. Select the blue 鈥渁pply鈥� button next to any scholarship.

Spring 2026 scholarships awards are set to be announced on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.  Please note this was changed from the original date of November 18, 2025. If selected for an award, scholarship recipients will receive an email with instructions and how to accept. Notifications will only be sent for scholarship in which you were selected to receive an award. If you applied for a scholarship and did not receive a notification to accept, then you were not selected to receive that particular award. 

Email communication will also be sent to applicants who are not selected to receive any scholarship for the Spring 2026 semester.

Foundation scholarships are intended for the semester in which they are awarded. Any unused or partially used funds will be returned to the Foundation.

The Foundation offers scholarship opportunities over a wide range of categories including specific programs, financial need, academic achievement, returning adults and much more. We encourage applicants to visit the and perform a keyword search using different scenarios like GPA, financial need, program of study, high school of graduation, ethnicity, etc. After completing the general application, the system will present a list of recommended opportunities for which you should apply.

Students can reach out to the Foundation team for assistance via email at foundation@kish.edu  or via phone at 815-825-9803. 

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There are some applications where financial need is not a factor. Also, every student鈥檚 ability to fund their education is different, regardless of parent鈥檚 income. Applicants should complete the general application and thoroughly explain their financial need where prompted.

Applicants are encouraged to answer all questions truthfully. If you are claimed by your parents and also filing separately you can explain your unique financial situation where prompted.

Most scholarship opportunities do not require essays. The general application provides an opportunity for students to share more about their financial need and how scholarship support will impact their educational and career goals. If required, essays will be 500 words or less with a focus on personal stories and goals. They are NOT academic essays where an applicant is arguing an idea or theory.

Students may check the status of a reference request by visiting the "My Applications鈥� dashboard. If you requested a reference there will be a tab labeled 鈥淩eference letters submitted.鈥�  A list of active references will be available and show the name and email address of the reference, date of request and the current status. If a reference has not been submitted you can select the blue 鈥淩esend Request鈥� button to remind your reference to submit. Applicants will not be able to view the reference submitted through the system.

If you are serving as a reference, you can log into  and visit the 鈥淩eference and Reviews鈥� tab. Log in to see the status of submission on your dashboard. A successful submission will be designed with a  鈥淰iew鈥� button next to a student鈥檚 name. If a student is still awaiting the submission of your reference it will be indicated by a blue 鈥淏egin鈥� button next to their name.