Scholarships

Graduate Scholar Award

Amount: Tuition waiver for 2 semesters, up to 30 credit hours
Deadline: March 1
Audience: Graduate (Domestic), Graduate (International)

Purpose

The purpose of Graduate Scholar Award (GSA) for Civic Engagement is to support highly qualified new master’s degree students at SIUE who have demonstrated a commitment to the SIUE core value of civic engagement. 

Award Structure & Benefits

The GSA provides a full tuition waiver for both the fall and spring semesters during the first year of graduate studies for up to 15 credit hours per semester (recipients are responsible for paying student fees).

Eligibility

Prospective students who meet the below eligibility criteria and deadlines are encouraged to apply for the GSA.

• Applicants must be one of the following:
  •  a fully admitted new graduate student who is accepted as a classified student in a master’s graduate degree program at SIUE and whose first term of enrollment will be no earlier than the summer preceding the fall award period.  For example, eligibility for the 2026-2027 academic year award is limited to new graduate students beginning their SIUE masters programs in either the summer 2026 or fall 2026 semesters.  (Students who have completed a prior graduate program at SIUE are not eligible to apply.)
  •  an SIUE undergraduate approved for admission to and currently enrolled in an approved combined bachelor to master’s program provided they will be fully admitted to the graduate program before the fall award period (Note that this requirement includes having completed the baccalaureate degree.) 
  • a previously enrolled graduate student who has been out of their program for at least 2 calendar years at the time of the GSA application
• The applicant must have a minimum 3.0 overall undergraduate cumulative GPA (GPA from all undergraduate courses at all institutions attended) and, if relevant, a minimum 3.0 graduate cumulative GPA in order to apply.
• The applicant must have a fully completed application to a master’s program for the above qualified terms by March 1^st at 4:30pm. All application requirements for the applicant's program must be received by this deadline, including test scores, recommendation forms, and transcripts. Applicants with a completed master’s program application who are pending a final admission decision by the graduate program are eligible to apply for the GSA if all other eligibility criteria are met. 
• SIUE employees and State of Illinois Civil Service employees at other universities are not eligible for the award.
• Currently enrolled SIUE undergraduate student workers are eligible to apply provided they meet the above requirements.

Application Deadline & Award Timeline

In addition to meeting all above criteria, including having a fully completed master’s program application by March 1^st, applicants must also have a completed and submitted GSA application submitted by March 1^st at 4:30 pm.   Applications that are not completed by the deadline will not be eligible for award consideration. 

Applications will be reviewed by the GSA award committee following the application deadline. Awardees will be notified by early April.

Application Details

The GSA application must be completed and submitted through the SIUE Application Center. (Estimated application opening date is October 2025.)

The GSA application includes the following:

1. Essay question responses. Applicants must respond to brief essay questions as prompted in the application, including demonstration of commitment to social and/or civic responsibilities; described impact of civic engagement on their communities; and a statement connecting their pursuit of the graduate degree with their continued engagement in these areas.
2. One completed recommendation form from an applicant identified recommender. The recommender must be someone who can discuss the applicant’s civic engagement activities, and may include individuals such as professors, community organization leaders, prior supervisors, and volunteer coordinators.  The recommendation form will be emailed to the recommender listed in the application.

Review Criteria

Eligible applications are reviewed according to the GSA Evaluation Rubric, based on the criteria below:

• Demonstrated level of commitment to civic engagement
• Extent of social and/or civic impacts of applicant’s civic engagement activities
• Quality of reflection on how graduate education will impact applicant’s continued civic engagement
• Overall writing quality of essay responses

Conditions of Award

Recipients of Graduate Scholar Awards for Civic Engagement:

• Must carry 6 semester hours or more of graduate-level work throughout the term of the GSA
• Must remain in good academic standing throughout the term of the GSA

If a recipient fails to comply with these conditions, the Graduate School may revoke the award.

If you have any questions regarding the Graduate Scholar Award, please reach out to the Graduate School at 618-650-3010 or graduateschool@siue.edu.