College and Financial Aid Resources

Find resources to help your mentee apply for college (2 and 4 year) and receive financial aid.

College Applications

• Application timeline and documents
• Big Future, College Board
• Know How 2 Go
• EDU Pages
• College Possible
• Education Planner
• National Immigration Law Center- Education Toolkit
• Community College for Immigrants, guide
• College Transition Guide for ELL Students
• Post High School, College, and Career Readiness for Refugee Youth (webinar and brief)

Programs for Refugee and First Generation Students

• Posse
• Chicago Scholars
• ​Pass with Flying Colors RefugeeOne youth are eligible for summer programs and workshops.
• ​AVID Encourage your mentee to sign up for AVID at their high school.
• ​Bottom Line
• ​College Advising Corps

Financial Aid & Scholarships

• FAFSA.gov 
• RISE Act 
• College Greenlight
• USA Hello Scholarships for Immigrants and Refugees
• Julia Stasch Scholarship
• Scholarship Directory​​

Colleges in Chicago

• City Colleges - Two year degrees, vocational programs, high level of support for ELL students and students with interrupted education; low-cost; open admissions.
• National Louis University High level of support for ELL and first generation students; rolling admissions.
• Northeastern Illinois University Support for ELL and first generation students; rolling admissions; public university low-cost.
• Arrupe College (of Loyola University) Low cost, two year programs with high level of support for immigrant and ELL students.
• Other Four-Year Universities in Chicago - Many refugee students may prefer to stay close to their families and attend college in Chicago. There are many options available, including:
  • University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)
  • University of Chicago
  • Northwestern University
  • DePaul University
  • Loyola University
  • Columbia College Chicago
  • Roosevelt University
  • DeVry University
  • Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)
  • Robert Morris University
  • North Park University
  • Chicago State University
  • Saint Xavier University
  • Saint Augustine College
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  • Adler School of Professional Psychology
  • Chamberlain University
  • Rush University

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