We are dedicated to making college as affordable as possible. You can acquire financial aid in a variety of ways: 

  • University of Illinois: To learn more about financial aid for attending the University of Illinois, please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid.
  • College of ACES Scholarships: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) also awards nearly $3.5 million in scholarships to ACES students, including scholarships for both incoming and continuing students. For incoming students, your admission application doubles as your ACES scholarship application; no additional scholarship application is needed. 
    • There are also scholarships available to support study abroad experiences.
  • Departmental Scholarships: The Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences (NRES) Department offers $44,000 in scholarships each year to incoming and continuing students. Funds are awarded based on merit, leadership, and demonstrated interest in the environment.
    • For incoming students, your admission application doubles as your NRES scholarship application; no additional scholarship application is needed. 
    • NRES donor-designated scholarship funds include: the Karen D. Fisher Avian Ecology and Habitat Preservation Scholarship, the Howard W. & L. Christine Knoebel Scholarship, the Illinois Corn Scholarship for Conserving Illinois' Agricultural Resources (soil and water health), Ivan John Jansen Memorial Scholarship, Ralph W. Lorenz Memorial Scholarship, McNaughton-Kade Scholarship, and the NRES Sustainability Scholarship.
  • National & International Scholarships Program (NISP) at U of I
    This program lists multiple scholarships current students can apply for; a few of interest to NRES students include:  
    • Udall Scholarships: This scholarship awards $7,000 to current college sophomores or juniors committed to a career related to the environment or to Native American sophomores or juniors interested in Tribal policy or health care. 
    • Boren Scholarships (study abroad): The program awards up to $12,500 for a semester or $25,000 for a year to freshmen through seniors for study in a non-Western country. Summer awards of up to $8,000 are also available to STEM majors. 
    • Goldwater Scholarships: Provides one- or two-year awards of $7,500 for undergraduate educational expenses. Sophomores and juniors majoring in environmental science, applied science, biology, zoology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, etc. are eligible to apply. 
    • Also check out the other scholarship search resources recommended by NISP. 
  • External Scholarships: See below for a few suggestions of scholarships offered by a variety of organizations.

Scholarships for continuing NRES undergraduate students

Current NRES students who are eligible to apply receive application instructions via e-mail in February of each year. Questions about NRES scholarships should be directed to nres-ssc@illinois.edu. Please note that scholarship awards and amounts may vary from year to year based on fluctuations in the endowments.

External Scholarships

A variety of scholarships for students with an environmental focus are offered by other organizations as well; here are a few suggestions to get you started: