Act Six Chicago Pursue Scholars Program

Awarded By:

Act Six Chicago

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Approximately seven awards offered annually.

Description: This full-tuition scholarship to Taylor University (IN) is open to Chicago residents who graduated from high school in 2018 or 2019 or will graduate in 2020 and are not yet enrolled in a four-year college. Students should display strong academic potential and must be Christians or open to learning about the Christian faith.

Application requirements for the Act Six Chicago Pursue Scholars Program are:

• Application form
• Essays (4)
• Financial summary
• Official Transcript
• Recommendation letters (3)

Additional Information: Act Six scholars must be: passionate about learning; eager to foster intercultural relationships; willing to step out of their comfort zones; committed to serving those around them; ready to make a difference on campus and at home. The selection process also places high value on applicants': teamwork; critical thinking; communication skills; and academic potential. While ethnicity and family income are considered as factors in selecting an intentionally diverse group of scholars, there are no income restrictions, and students from all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. After an initial screening of written application materials, top applicants are notified by email on Dec. 1 and invited to participate as candidates in Phase II. In Phase II, candidates participate in a local half-day interactive event on Dec. 8 where they demonstrate their academic and leadership potential while working together to address a complex community issue. A local community committee considers candidates' performance on both the written and interactive components to name between 15 and 20 semifinalists. Decisions are emailed in mid January. In Phase III, semifinalists travel to Taylor University for a two-day event between Jan. 25 and Feb. 14. Taylor selects finalists and mails decision letters on Feb. 20. Finalists are given a week to decide and commit to the Act Six program, agreeing to attend the college for which they were selected and to participate fully in the six-month training program. Additional details on the training program are available on the Act Six Chicago website.

Award Amount: The scholarship covers full tuition and full financial need for all recipients. Scholarships are worth approximately $120,000 to $155,000 over four years.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $137,500.