Who is eligible?

To be eligible for the 2025-2026 Sophomore Scholarship Program, students must:

1. Be eligible to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Illinois
   Alternative Application for Student Aid.
2. Have completed at least 30 but no more than 50 GPA eligible semester hours at SWIC
   (excluding transfer hours) at the time of application, with a cumulative minimum 3.5 GPA.
3. Be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours for the upcoming term.

How to Apply

1. Complete the FAFSA or Illinois Alternative Application for Financial Aid and all assigned follow up items.
2. Log into your eSTORM Student Center and select the Forms and Resources tile.
3. Navigate to the Sophomore Scholarship Application Form in Financial Aid Forms to complete the application.

Application Deadline

Fall 2025/ Spring 2026 Deadline: August 11, 2025

Terms & Conditions

All applicants must meet all of the following non-negotiable conditions. Failure to do so will result in loss of the scholarship for which there is no appeal process to regain.

1. Applicants must file a 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Illinois Alternative Application for Financial Aid listing Southwestern Illinois College.  SWIC School Code: 001636
2. Students must have completed at least 30 but no more than 50 GPA-eligible semester hours at SWIC (excluding transfer hours) at the completion of spring 2024 semester. In addition, a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA is required at the time of application. All hours from other colleges must be transferred to SWIC and evaluated for the student’s degree prior to an application being considered. High school dual credit courses not counting toward the degree of study can be excluded.
3. To receive the award, the student must maintain a 67% cumulative completion rate.
4. Students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours to receive the scholarship.
5. If awarded for the fall and spring semesters, the cumulative GPA must remain above 3.0 to be awarded for spring. For example, if your cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 after the fall grades are posted you will not be eligible for the scholarship during the spring semester.

Sophomore Scholarship Award Details

Enrolled 12+ Semester Credits: $1000 per Term
Enrolled 6-11.5 Semester Credits: $500 per Term

Only complete applications received by the August 11 deadline will be considered for the Sophomore Scholarship.

The SWIC Scholarship Committee will determine the recipients based on the above criteria, responses on the application, and unmet financial need. After selection, candidates will be notified through their SWIC student email.

Scholarship awards are for the fall and spring semesters. Summer semester is not eligible for the Sophomore Scholarship.

The scholarship is for tuition only for classes appearing on students’ academic transcripts. As a result, the scholarship does NOT pay fees, books, or proficiency examination costs.

Direct inquiries to: