Mariam Ndow of Serekunda, The Gambia, a 2022 graduate of Marina International School, has been admitted to the University of Illinois Springfield for Fall Semester 2023 and awarded a $32,000 Lincoln Merit Scholarship for tuition over four years. At UIS, she will major in biochemistry.  

The scholarship is awarded based on high school GPA and can be renewed for a total of four years if the student maintains college GPA requirements.

At Marina International School, she played soccer and volleyball. She also took part in the school’s annual science fair.

“Both my mother and my maternal aunt have studied in UIS and I have heard nothing but good things about the university,” she said. “This is what has inspired me to look into the university, and upon further research I saw the great opportunities UIS has to offer. I then solidified my decision to apply to UIS.”

Following graduation from UIS, she plans to attend medical school.

All undergraduate first-year students are automatically eligible for Lincoln Merit Scholarships. These scholarships are automatically applied upon admission and are based solely on high school GPA. In order to receive $32,000 over four years, the student must have an unweighted GPA of 4.0 or greater.  

For more information on scholarships, contact the UIS Office of Financial Assistance at 217-206-6724 or finaid@uis.edu. For a full list of scholarship opportunities, visit the Financial Aid website.

Students may apply for admission to UIS online. Contact the UIS Office of Admission at admissions@uis.edu or 217-206-4847 with questions.