Compass Scholarship
As college has grown increasingly expensive and complicated, many students are met with little to no assistance, which can place college out of reach.
There are countless hardworking students from the Chicagoland area who are striving to improve their academic performance and further their education, but are struggling to secure the means to earn their degrees. The rising costs of tuition, textbooks, room and board, and other necessities are causing some bright and passionate students to be left behind.
The Compass Scholarship seeks to help current African-American college students navigate the journey of continuing their education in the face of high costs and declining support.
Current undergraduate students may apply for this scholarship provided they meet the following
criteria:
African-American students attending an accredited college or university in the U.S.;
have graduated from a high school located in the Chicago metropolitan area [defined as Illinois counties: Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake (IL), Kane, Kendall or Indiana counties, Lake (IN) and Porter];
have completed at least one semester of college;
have at least a 2.0 GPA in their college coursework.
To apply for the Compass Scholarship, write a short essay or record a video responding to one of the essay topics below.
Applicants may submit a written essay (400–600 words) or a video of themselves
(up to 10 minutes) answering one of the following questions:
- How do you anticipate using your college education to help your community?
- How will your educational journey help you achieve your personal goals?
If you submit via video, please write in this text box, "I submitted via video response".
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FAQ
The application deadline is May 13, 2026. Winners will be announced on Jun 14, 2026.
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Award amounts per winner are designated by the donor. Check the award amount for a detailed breakdown.
The winner will be publicly announced on Jun 14, 2026. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.
Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.
Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.
If you have any questions about this scholarship or the Bold.org platform, just email contact@bold.org and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.
Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here.
