2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Monroe County, Indiana: Full Tuition and Up to $900 for Books

Captured cycle: This page is retained for historical guidance. Confirm whether the program has reopened before planning an application.

2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Monroe County, Indiana: Full Tuition and Up to $900 for Books

The 2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is a high-value undergraduate award for eligible students connected to Monroe County, Indiana. The scholarship can pay otherwise unreimbursed full tuition and required fees, and it includes a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment. The award can continue for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study leading to a baccalaureate degree at an eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.

The local application is open now, but the first deadline is close: Monroe County applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on August 18, 2026. This is the initial application, not the later finalist-stage material. Students who miss the first deadline cannot assume that a school, counselor, or the Community Foundation can add them later, so the application should be treated as a hard cutoff.

This opportunity is administered locally by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) and statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. CFBMC expects two Monroe County scholarship nominees in the 2027 cycle. The local review considers academic performance, leadership, civic participation, school citizenship, employment, and the applicant’s potential to contribute to the community. The award is competitive: meeting the basic requirements makes a student eligible to be reviewed, but it does not guarantee a scholarship.

Key details

What the scholarship pays for

The financial value is tied to qualified educational costs rather than a simple cash prize. The published award covers otherwise unreimbursed full tuition and required fees for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study. It also offers a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment.

“Otherwise unreimbursed” matters. The scholarship is intended to fill eligible tuition and fee costs after other applicable assistance is considered, not to create an unrestricted payment that can automatically be used for every college expense. The official local page does not promise room and board, transportation, personal spending money, or a separate living stipend. Applicants should therefore build a complete college budget that includes those expenses even if they are strong candidates for the Lilly award.

The scholarship can be used at an eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Students do not need to choose a particular campus before submitting the Monroe County application, but they do need a credible plan for full-time baccalaureate study in Indiana beginning in fall 2027. A final college choice may affect the amount of tuition and required fees that remain eligible, so keep financial-aid records and admission information organized as the process continues.

The statewide program is expected to provide 147 scholarships in this cycle, while CFBMC’s local announcement identifies two scholarships for Monroe County. That combination gives the award a meaningful local selection stage and a final statewide administrative stage. It is not an automatic scholarship for every student who meets the GPA or residency requirements.

Who can apply in Monroe County

The local requirements are specific. An applicant must be a legal resident of Monroe County, Indiana. The student must currently attend, or previously have attended, an accredited Monroe County high school or the Indiana Academy for at least three consecutive years, including the senior year, and must graduate by June 2027.

CFBMC lists these eligible schools: Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South, Edgewood High School, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities in Delaware County, Bloomington Graduation School, Seven Oaks Classical School, Harmony School, Covenant Christian School, and Lighthouse Christian Academy. If a student’s school history is unusual, the safest approach is to contact CFBMC before submitting rather than assume that a partial attendance record qualifies.

The academic threshold is a 3.70 or higher cumulative weighted GPA on a four-point scale through the end of junior year. This is not a target to estimate from one recent report card. Use the official school record or counselor confirmation to determine the GPA that the application should report. If the school uses a different grading scale, ask the counselor how the record should be represented in the application.

Finally, the student must plan to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an Indiana college or university beginning in fall 2027. A student who intends to attend part time, pursue a non-degree course, or study outside Indiana does not match the published local criteria. The student must also be available for an October interview if selected as a finalist.

How to apply before August 18

The first application is accessed through the CFBMC scholarship application portal linked from the official opportunity page. The local page identifies the deadline as August 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. The process is online, so do not wait until the final hour to create an account or discover that a required field needs information from a school record.

Start by confirming the eligibility gates: Monroe County residency, the three-consecutive-year school history including senior year, graduation by June 2027, the 3.70 weighted GPA, and the planned fall 2027 Indiana enrollment. Then collect the information needed to describe your education, work, service, activities, leadership, and academic record accurately.

Use the application to create a coherent record, not a list of every activity you have ever tried. For each substantial activity, note the dates, your actual role, what you were responsible for, and what changed because of your involvement. Keep descriptions factual. If you helped a club, team, nonprofit, workplace, or school project, explain the work and the result without inflating your title or claiming outcomes you cannot verify.

Before submitting, review every required response and save a copy or confirmation of the completed application. The official page links to the application portal, but it does not promise that an incomplete draft counts as a submission. A portal account, saved draft, or email confirming registration is not the same as a completed application. Look for the final submission confirmation and retain it.

What to prepare for the later stages

The initial deadline is only the first stage. CFBMC says that applications are blindly reviewed and independently scored by Lilly Scholarship committee members at each Monroe County high school to identify semifinalists. The number of semifinalists from each school depends on the size of that school’s senior class.

In September, students selected as semifinalists will be invited to answer additional questions and provide reference recommendations from teachers or others. The later finalist-round application is due September 24, 2026 according to the Foundation’s published announcement. That means an applicant should identify possible references now, even though the reference request is made only after the semifinalist stage. Choose people who have directly observed your academic habits, leadership, service, work ethic, or growth and can provide specific examples.

The CFBMC Scholarship Selection Committee then reviews the semifinalist applications and selects ten finalists. The committee includes community members and a former Monroe County Lilly Scholar. Finalists are interviewed in October, and interview scores are combined with scores from the written application. CFBMC’s announcement identifies October 26 or 27 as the expected interview evenings for selected finalists. Keep both dates available if possible and ask the Foundation promptly about conflicts if an unavoidable issue arises.

The Foundation submits finalist rankings and recommendations to Independent Colleges of Indiana for final selection of the two Monroe County scholarship recipients. CFBMC expects recipients to be notified in December. The local Foundation’s recommendation is therefore important, but it is not the final award decision.

How to make the application more convincing

The published evaluation criteria give a useful map: notable ability, leadership skills, civic potential through community service, exemplary school citizenship, and outstanding academic performance. A strong application makes those qualities visible through evidence rather than repeating the words as labels.

For academic performance, show the habits and choices behind the record where the application allows it. Rigorous coursework, improvement, research, tutoring, academic teams, or sustained independent study can help explain what the transcript represents. Do not treat the GPA as the entire case, because the local process explicitly considers more than grades.

For leadership, focus on responsibility and follow-through. A formal title is not required to demonstrate leadership, and a title alone is not proof of it. Describe a problem you noticed, the action you took, the people you worked with, and the result. If the result is still developing, say so and explain what you learned or what the next step is.

For civic potential, connect service to the people or place affected. Hours are useful context, but they are not the whole story. Explain who benefited, how you contributed, and whether you returned to the work over time. A small, consistent responsibility can be more persuasive than a long list of one-day events.

For school citizenship and employment, include the less visible work that shows reliability. Supporting classmates, holding a job, caring for family, helping a school program function, or managing obligations alongside difficult coursework may provide important context. Keep the description specific and respectful; the committee needs evidence of judgment, not a dramatic narrative.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is missing the first deadline. August 18 is the date for the initial Monroe County application, and a later semifinalist or finalist stage does not create a second chance for someone who never submitted the first form.

Another mistake is treating the award as a generic national scholarship. The local requirements matter: residency, school attendance history, GPA, graduation timing, Indiana enrollment, and October availability. A student can be academically strong and still fail the Monroe County eligibility screen if one of those conditions is not met.

Do not assume that a 3.70 GPA on an unweighted scale is the same as a 3.70 weighted GPA on a four-point scale. Confirm how the school reports the record. Also do not list a future college plan that conflicts with the published Indiana-study requirement.

Avoid vague leadership claims, unexplained activity lists, and copied personal statements. The local reviewers are evaluating many students from the same community. Concrete examples, accurate dates, and a clear account of your contribution make the application easier to assess.

Finally, do not wait to think about references until September. If you become a semifinalist, the turnaround for additional questions and recommendations may be short. A brief, courteous advance conversation with a potential recommender is useful, but do not ask anyone to write a letter before you know what the Foundation requests.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a full-ride scholarship?

It can cover otherwise unreimbursed full tuition and required fees, plus up to $900 per year for required books and equipment, for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study. The official local page does not promise room, board, transportation, or a general living stipend, so students should plan for those costs separately.

How many students from Monroe County receive it?

CFBMC’s 2027 announcement says that two Monroe County scholarships are available. The statewide program is expected to provide 147 scholarships overall.

Do I need a college admission offer by August 18?

The published Monroe County requirements say that applicants must plan to pursue full-time baccalaureate study at an Indiana college or university beginning in fall 2027. The page does not state that an admission offer must already be in hand for the initial application. Follow the portal instructions and contact CFBMC if your admission status is uncertain.

What happens after the first application?

High-school Lilly committees blindly review and score applications to identify semifinalists. Semifinalists answer additional questions and provide references in September. CFBMC then selects ten finalists, interviews them in October, and sends rankings and recommendations to ICI for final selection.

Who can answer a question about my application?

CFBMC lists Program Director Marcus Whited as the contact for questions or application assistance. The published email is [email protected]. The Foundation also lists 812-333-9016 as its office number.

What should I do if I am selected as a finalist?

Keep the October interview dates available, respond quickly to every request, and prepare to discuss your academic direction, community involvement, leadership decisions, employment, and plans for Indiana college study. The interview score is combined with the written application score, so it is part of the selection record rather than a casual conversation.

Official links and next steps

Start with the CFBMC Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship page, which contains the local criteria and the link to the application portal. Submit the initial application by August 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Then save the confirmation and watch for any communication from CFBMC or your school’s Lilly Scholarship committee.

If you qualify, the practical next step is simple: confirm your GPA and school history with a counselor, assemble an accurate activity and service record, complete the online application early enough to correct errors, and preserve proof of final submission. The scholarship is selective, but the published process is clear. A careful, evidence-based application gives the reviewers the information they need to compare your record fairly.