George M. Pullman Educational Foundation Scholarship
Direct application
Eligibility
About this scholarship
Graduating high school seniors from Cook County, Illinois, with a 3.0 or higher cumulative unweighted GPA who are enrolling full-time for the first time at a U.S. Title IV-eligible bachelor's institution may apply for the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation Scholarship.
Awards are up to $10,000 per year based on financial need and are renewable for up to four years. Recipients also receive support from Pullman Foundation staff and the scholar community.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, file the FAFSA, and submit the application between November 1 and February 2. The process includes three essays and two recommendations, plus transcripts, interviews, and financial aid documentation in later stages.
Essay questions
What else to submit
- Online application
- Three essays
- Two recommendation forms, including one from a teacher and one from another non-family adult
- Transcripts
- FAFSA and Student Aid Index financial-aid documentation
- Interview if requested in a later stage
- Three essays total, each max 500 words, written in the official essay template (12-pt Times New Roman, one-inch margins, double-spaced), uploaded as doc/docx/pdf
- Two recommendation forms: one from a teacher, one from another adult (counselor, mentor, coach, employer, etc.); no family/friends
- Must be a Cook County, Illinois resident and a high school senior enrolling full-time at an accredited U.S. bachelor's-degree institution
- Minimum 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA (4.0 scale)
- Demonstrate strong financial need; must file FAFSA and report Student Aid Index (SAI)
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident
- Application includes profile/activity/awards questions and is submitted online via the Foundation's Alchemer portal
- 2026 deadline was February 2, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CST (now closed)
- Awards are renewable for up to four years, subject to program continuation requirements.
- Recipients receive Pullman Foundation staff and scholar-community support.