1. Department of Biological Sciences
  2. Student Life
  3. Scholarships and Awards

Scholarships and Awards

Annual Awards Ceremony

Each spring, we give several scholarships and awards to deserving undergraduate and graduate students at our annual awards ceremony. We are proud of our students with outstanding academic and research accomplishments and grateful that we can recognize some of them. Awardees are chosen by committees composed of faculty and/or students who evaluate nominations and applications for the various awards. Most of the awards come from donations by alumni to the NIU Foundation in the name of various scholarships. Read more about NIU scholarships.

Email annualawards@mail.niu.edu for queries. Learn more about several of our scholarship opportunities below.

Available Scholarships

The following scholarships or awards are chosen by the BIOS scholarship committee.

Juniors Only

  • Harvey A Feyerherm Award
  • Jerrold H. Zar Endowed Scholarship in Biology
  • The Dennis Larsen Memorial Scholarship in Biology
  • Patricia Vary Scholarship in Biological Sciences
  • Sidney A. Mittler Award

Seniors Only

  • Deans Award

Junior or Senior

  • Alumni Scholarship in Biological Sciences
  • Amanda Mangold Scholarship
  • August M Gorenz, Ph.D. Scholarship Fund
  • BELONG in STEM (Not chosen by the BIOS scholarship committee)
  • David and Karen Nargis Student Scholarship in Biology
  • Phi Sigma Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award (Not chosen by the BIOS scholarship committee)

To Apply

These scholarships are generally based on academic performance, though some have additional criteria. In order to qualify, you must have a GPA of 3.00 or greater. Currently, scholarships are available for juniors and seniors only.

To apply, fill out the application form by Feb. 20. You'll need to provide the following:

  • Your cumulative GPA and biosci GPA
  • Your class status (freshman, sophomore, junior or senior)
  • Approximate weekly work hours over the last two years
  • Your research experience, extracurricular activities and career goals
  • The name of a biology faculty member who has agreed to serve as a reference

  • Dissertation Completion Award
  • Elwood and Ruth Briles Memorial Scholarship
  • George L. Terwilliger Memorial Scholarship Fund – Endowed
  • Phi Sigma Outstanding Graduate Research Award (Not chosen by the BIOS scholarship committee)

  • Charles Montgomery (Teacher Prep Program)
  • David R. Layman Scholarship Fund
  • Jerrold H. Zar Endowed Scholarship in Science Education

  • Hubbard Award for Excellence in Human Anatomical Sciences

Support for these scholarships would not be possible without the financial support of our alumni and friends. If you would like to contribute to scholarships that assist students in earning their degrees, establish new scholarships, or support our ongoing research program, please visit our giving page.

Contact Us

Department of Biological Sciences
Montgomery Hall 349
815-753-1753
815-753-0461 (fax)

General questions can be directed to kmeyer5@niu.edu.

Student enrollment questions can be directed to sfarley@niu.edu.

Graduate Advising

Undergraduate Advising