The Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education (GCOE) provides a limited number of scholarships for undergraduate students. To be eligible, students must have a major declared in the Goodwin College of Education, minimum of 60 credit hours, and cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. The NEIU transcripts will be accessed internally to verify the GPA from the previous term.

Graduate students, TLP students, second bachelor's degree seeking students, and prospective students are not eligible.

Students recognized as meeting the eligibility requirements will receive an application invitation via email from the Dean's Office. Invitations will be sent on: 

  • May 1 - for fall awards 
  • Sept. 1  - for spring awards
  • Feb. 1 - for summer awards 

The application window will be open for 15 days. Students must be logged into NEIU email in order to complete the online application.

The application will require uploading of 375-word Word essay. Read more about the essay prompt and rubric. Please note, we no longer require recommendation letters. 

The GCOE Merit Tuition Scholarships can be granted over the entire span of the students’ undergraduate study at Northeastern Illinois University, not to exceed four years, or a total of eight semesters, including summer terms. Students who are invited in multiple semesters may reapply and be considered for continued support on a semester-by-semester basis. A new online application with an essay must be submitted for each semester that student is seeking an award.

Submitted scholarship applications will be reviewed by the GCOE Scholarship Committee, who will determine recipients from among the applicants, and will award amounts each semester. Awards will be made on a competitive basis, with the total number of awards, per semester, contingent on the availability of financial resources. Scholarships will be granted based on GPA and the essay score based on the rubric.

 

All applicants will be notified of their status by the Dean’s Office via email, within 3-4 weeks after the deadline. 

Awarded students must maintain the following minimum number of credit hours in order for the award to remain in effect:

  • full-time enrollment: 12 credit hours or 9 credit hours if student teaching
  • half-time enrollment: 6-11 credit hours
  • summer terms: at least 3 credit hours

The award may be withdrawn in the instance of substantiated academic misconduct or other violations of university standards pertaining to proper student conduct. 

 

For any questions or verification of eligibility, please contact GCOE Administrative Assistant Marlena Kruk at m-kruk@neiu.edu.