All private high schools, including Catholic high schools, have a tuition students must pay in order to attend. In cases where the tuition is a challenge or a potential barrier for a student or family, Catholic high schools will work with the family to identify forms of financial aid. In addition, there are tax credit scholarships and outside organizations like those listed below which offer scholarships for students. No student should ever let tuition prevent him/her from attending the right school. Please review and contact the organizations described below in order to learn more about and/or apply for available scholarships.
High School Scholarship Support
Big Shoulders Fund
- Big Shoulders Fund (BSF) provides need-based scholarships to Catholic school students in Chicago neighborhoods. Students may receive a scholarship in high school through one of two ways: Students could carry over a scholarship that they had or received in 8th grade. Certain renewable Big Shoulders Fund scholarships (but not all) stay with a child as they transition from 8th to 9th grade. These scholarships follow a child to any Catholic high school. Families should check with the principal of their student's Big Shoulders Fund grade school to find out what type of scholarship they have. Families with renewable scholarships should inform the high school of the scholarship and also contact the Big Shoulders Fund so that the student's enrollment is properly registered.
- Families can reach out to the admissions office at the Big Shoulders Fund-supported high school their student plans to attend. If eligible, a school will apply for the scholarship on the family's behalf. The high schools that are supported by the Big Shoulders Fund are:
- Christ the King
- Cristo Rey Jesuit
- Cristo Rey St. Martin
- De La Salle
- DePaul
- Holy Trinity
- Josephinum
- Leo
- Our Lady of Tepeyac
- Mount Carmel
- St. Francis de Sales
- St. Rita
Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund
Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund (DMSF) gives high school scholarship assistance and educational support to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who live in Chicago, Cicero, or Berwyn. DMSF seeks to make a life-altering difference in the lives of its scholars by providing them with the best opportunity to succeed in high school and college.
The application for students currently in 7th grade will open in May 2024.
The application for students currently in 7th grade will open in May 2024.
HFS Chicago
HFS provides financial assistance, one-to-one mentoring and guidance, academic enrichment and leadership opportunities to high-achieving high school students from underserved neighborhoods throughout Chicagoland. HFS Chicago helps develop well-rounded, college-prepared students ready to face the challenges of an ever-changing, global and diverse society.
Application for students entering high school in the fall of 2024 is due November 15, 2023.
Application for students entering high school in the fall of 2024 is due November 15, 2023.
Highsight
HighSight provides scholarships, tutoring, mentoring, leadership development, and college readiness programs that create new possibilities for Chicago high school students from low-income families. The HighSight experience empowers scholars to excel in high school and graduate from four-year colleges across the country.
Application for students entering high school in the fall of 2024 will open in February 2024 and is due in March.
Application for students entering high school in the fall of 2024 will open in February 2024 and is due in March.
LINK Unlimited
LINK Unlimited connects economically disadvantaged African American high school students with mentors, resources, and foundational skills required for success as they advance into, through, and beyond college. Candidates must be academically motivated and exhibit a drive to succeed. From there, LINK can help them go anywhere.
Applications for students entering high school in the fall of 2024 will be available in fall of 2023.
Applications for students entering high school in the fall of 2024 will be available in fall of 2023.
Madonna Scholarship
The Madonna Foundation, established in 2001 by the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, is a public charity that increases access for young women to attend Catholic high schools in the Chicago area. The Foundation is the only one of its kind in the region focusing exclusively on serving young women with scholarship support and programing. The Madonna Foundation annually awards tuition grants to young women who demonstrate financial need and the potential for academic achievement. Financial support averages $2,700 per year.
Applications will be available to eight grade students who applied to and plan to attend an all-girls Catholic high school in Chicago in February 2024.
Applications will be available to eight grade students who applied to and plan to attend an all-girls Catholic high school in Chicago in February 2024.