Learn more about becoming a Chime Scholar.

CSF is open to students of all ages and pathways, Chime Members and non-Chime Members, students returning to school or starting late, and students jumping right into a program after high school. We support students at any stage in their undergraduate educational journey and highly encourage students enrolled in or thinking about attending technical education (CTE) or trade programs to apply.

Scholarship checks can only be sent to accredited schools, programs, or educational loan servicers. Learn more about why program accreditation is important. Quick check: If you are eligible to receive federal aid to attend your school/program, then it qualifies. Important: The Chime Scholarship is awarded to community college, trade, and CTE students through our loan repayment program.

To school, that is. We need to know where you will be enrolling and that you’re prepared for the work by demonstrating a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA. You will need to upload your high school (or college) transcript and declare your school by the application deadline.

No. We are fully online.

Nope! Applying is free for those who are eligible.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. Additionally, you can check your application’s status in your application portal under ‘My Applications’.

• Transcripts
• FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) showing your Student Aid Index (SAI)
• Personal statement or video
• Financial Aid Award Letter (finalists only)

The following prompts can be answered in writing (max 250 words each) or through a self-recorded video (max 2 minutes in total):

1. Share what you are passionate about and how it relates to your educational goals.
2. How would the Chime Scholarship support your educational journey
3. Reflect on a time when you faced a challenge—academic, familial, or social. Describe how you demonstrated resilience and determination. Discuss whether you would handle it differently now.
4. Optional: Any additional information you would like to provide, such as family circumstances or other relevant details.

You can use ChatGPT or another AI resource to help brainstorm and/or clean up your short answers before submitting. We are all about embracing technology tools, but we expect the “you” to shine through with examples and anecdotes. No need for AI fluff, it’s not memorable and it takes up valuable space.

Changes will not be automatically saved! To save, click ‘Save and Next‘ before exiting the application portal. When you return to the application, you will be brought to the screen you exited from and will start that screen from scratch. Furthermore, after resuming, you cannot go back to prior screens. Don’t worry! You will have the opportunity to review and edit your application at the end before submitting it.

If you encounter an ‘unexpected error’ message while trying to log into your application, here are some steps to resolve the issue and gain access:

• Refresh the page: Sometimes, errors can be temporary glitches. To start, try refreshing the page by clicking the refresh button on your web browser. This simple action often resolves minor issues and allows you to log in successfully.
• Log out and log back in: If refreshing the page doesn’t work, the next step is to log out of your application and then log back in. After successfully logging out, wait a few seconds and click the “Login” button to access your account.
• Contact support: If you’ve tried refreshing the page and logging out and back in but still experiencing the ‘unexpected error,’ please contact our support team for further assistance. You can send an email to [email protected] detailing the issue you’re facing. Our support team will work diligently to help you resolve the problem and regain access to your application.

For questions about the program and eligibility, contact us at [email protected].

No.

US educational institutions that receive federal financial aid are eligible. Reference the Federal School Code list for more information.

The Chime Scholarship is restricted to educational costs outlined on the federal student aid website.

We are Beyond the Check at CSF! Chime Scholars have access to support services through our nonprofit partners. Additionally, you’ll have the chance to engage with a network of scholars and Chime employees through events, social media platforms, and other initiatives throughout the year!

The Chime Scholarship itself does not prevent recipients from receiving additional funding from other sources. We encourage Chime Scholars to speak with their educational institution’s financial aid office if they have questions regarding other aid.

Drive & Readiness: commitment to and readiness for higher education

Resilience: perseverance in the face of challenges or other hardships

Responsibility: commitment to family, work, community

Scholarships may not be used to fund the additional expense of study abroad programs.

For students who attend a four-year college, CSF will disburse funds directly to their college at the start of the semester (July-September). For students attending community colleges/vocational programs, the loan repayment scholarship is paid after the student graduates and is paid directly to the loan servicer.

The award amount varies for each student and is determined by their unmet financial need, which is the difference between your selected school’s cost of attendance (COA) minus your Student Aid Index (SAI), per your FAFSA, and minus other grants and scholarships received. The highest value of the Chime Scholars Foundation scholarship is $5,000 per academic year/$2,500 per term.

The Chime Scholars Foundation expects scholars to:

• Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or better in their academic records.
• Provide an introductory video (2 mins).
• Engage with our network of scholars and Chime employees.
• Uphold a positive disciplinary record.
• Complete a Photo and Multimedia Release Form.

Chime Scholars are required to stay in contact with CSF, participate in programming, and fill out a short renewal application annually. Chime Scholars are eligible for up to six years of support for undergraduate programs and up to three years for transfer, trade, and technical programs (for a maximum total of $20,000 per scholar).

Finalists will be notified in June with instructions on completing additional scholar and verification steps.

Please check our Chime Scholars Foundation Loan repayment program.

We are very excited about the loan repayment program and may expand it to all Chime Scholars in future years. We received feedback that access to scholarship funds is one of the biggest challenges our community college, CTE, and trade student Chime Scholars face, which is why the program is currently restricted to these students.

No, as long as you are attending a program that is eligible for federal funding.

The Chime Scholarship for each year aligns with the amount of debt taken that year, with a maximum of $5,000 per year. The Chime Scholarship loan repayment amount cannot exceed the total amount borrowed during the scholarship period. For example, if a Chime Scholar borrows $5,000 their first year as a Chime scholar and $2,000 their second year, the Chime Scholarship will be applied to $7,000 in loan debt after your program completion.

No. Each year you are a Chime Scholar what you borrow from the qualified loan providers is the amount of your repayment option up to $5,000 per year. For example, if you borrow $8,000 your first year and $2,000 your second year, the Chime Scholarship will be applied to $7,000 in loan debt after your program completion.

Yes, as long as you have not hit your lifetime scholarship amount of $20,000. For example, if you accrued $10,000 while you were completing your AA and had $10,000 paid to your loan servicer at the completion of your AA, you would be eligible for up to another $10,000 in loan repayment when you complete your bachelor’s program.

Scholars are eligible for repayment after achieving their terminal undergraduate degree. For transfer “Transfer” refers to the time at a community college before transferring (maximum of three years of eligibility) as well as the time you spend at the 4-year educational institution you transfer to (maximum of three years of eligibility) for a total of six years. Scholars who receive a loan-repayment scholarship are only eligible for loan-repayment renewal scholarships, even if they transfer to a 4-year institution.

Educational loans, including federal subsidized, unsubsidized, and institutional (from your school) loans.

After you graduate but before six months post-graduation.

Proof of graduation from your college (one of the following):

• College transcript
• Certificate of completion from college
• Diploma

Statement from loan servicer(s) showing account number, loan dates, current balance, and payment information.