Merit Scholarships for New First-Year Students
When applying to UIS, all undergraduate first-year students are automatically considered for Star Scholar First Year Scholarships. No additional application is required. These scholarships are automatically applied upon admission and are based solely on unweighted high school GPA.
The scholarship is renewable for up to four years in which the student is enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student (12 hours or more) in an on-campus program and maintain a cumulative, minimum UIS institutional GPA of 2.75.
Students invited to apply and admitted to the Capital Scholars Honors Program, will receive an additional $1,000/year. Students may only receive a CAP Honors Scholarship OR a Star Scholar Award.
UIS Global students are not eligible for UIS Star Scholar Award scholarships based upon their participation in the UIS Global partnership.
2025-26 Star Scholar Awards
| unweighted high school gpa | scholarship amount per year |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | $7,000 |
| 3.75-3.99 | $6,000 |
| 3.50-3.74 | $5,000 |
| 3.25-3.49 | $4,000 |
| 3.0-3.24 | $3,000 |
Students may not have combined UIS scholarships that exceed tuition and mandatory fee charges. Therefore, some students may see a reduction in scholarship funds on their comprehensive financial aid offer notification. More details may be found on the policy webpage.