Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Fellowship (DFI)

2024-2025 DFI Application Process – Deadline extended to Sunday, March 10, 2024, for NEW applicants (the application will be available within your student portal, shortly, and an email will be sent to Illinois graduate students)

The 2024-2025 Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Program application for new applicants is now available within your student portal. For more than 23 years, the DFI program and its predecessor programs have provided competitive need-based financial awards to underrepresented students who seek to earn a graduate degree (master’s or doctoral) from a participating Illinois higher education institution.

The DFI Program was established by the Illinois General Assembly and signed as Public Act 093-0862 on August 4, 2004. The DFI program annually provides competitive fellowship awards to over 100 Illinois minority graduate students. The program assists students in completing graduate degrees (master’s or doctoral) leading to a faculty or staff position at Illinois higher education institutions. Program funding for the 2024-2025 academic year (FY2025) is contingent on the availability of funds appropriated by the Governor and Illinois General Assembly. Applicants must be Illinois residents (see definition below) who enroll full-time at an Illinois institution of higher education. Students who are pursuing a second Master's degree are not eligible to receive funding, therefore, your application will not be considered if you apply.

All DFI applications and required documents must be submitted by March 10, 2024. Academic Transcripts must be submitted electronically to stapplications@nl.edu by the 3/10/24 deadline and should include the following in the subject line of the email: “DFI Applicant, Your Name, & NLU ID#”. Please DO NOT forward or submit any applications and/or documentation directly to the DFI Program. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after March 10, 2024, cannot be considered. NLU has a limit of ten (10) new applications that can be submitted for consideration, therefore, the first ten (10) completed applications received will be reviewed for submission. We encourage you to submit your application early if you would like to have your essay critiqued and to allow time for making recommended changes. NLU reserves the right not to submit applications with poorly written essays.

New Applicant Eligibility Criteria:

• You must be a part of an underrepresented group as defined on the DFI application. “Traditionally underrepresented minority group” means any of the minority groups designated in the Act which are represented in Illinois post-baccalaureate enrollment at a percentage rate less than the percentage of the minority group’s representation in the total Illinois population. Traditionally, this group includes Black/African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Pacific Islanders. 
  
  
• You must meet the DFI Illinois residency requirements as defined on the DFI application.  To be classified as an Illinois resident, for the purposes of this fellowship, an applicant must have received a high school diploma or postsecondary degree from an accredited educational institution in Illinois AND have three or more years of residency in Illinois.
  
  
• You must be unconditionally admitted to a first master’s/professional or doctorate degree program at NLU and who plan to teach or become an administrator in higher education or K-12. This means that there are no prerequisites that you must satisfy before being fully admitted to your degree program. Applicants in all academic disciplines are eligible. Candidates pursuing degrees in any of the sciences, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields are encouraged to apply and will receive priority consideration.
  
  
• You must enroll full-time during Fall 2024 through Spring 2025 terms and must NOT work full-time during this period. Students in the CPS Residency Program are ineligible to apply for DFI since they are paid five days a week as employees during their program.
  
  
• You must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning and you must have earned a minimum grade point average of 2.75 (scale 4.0 = A) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.
  
  
• You must have earned at least 9 hours of graduate study and have earned a minimum grade point average of over a 3.2 (scale 4.0 = A).
  
  
• You must demonstrate financial need (as defined on page 15 of the DFI application) as evidenced by the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) OR the Illinois RISE Act/Alternative Application for State financial aid. Undocumented students who meet the definition of an underrepresented group may complete the Illinois RISE Act/Alternative Application. See the deadlines below in the “New Applicant Checklist”.

New Applicant Checklist

Please submit the New DFI application and required documents within your student portal, by 3/10/24 if you wish to be considered for the DFI fellowship.

1. Complete the FY2025 (2024-2025) New DFI Application. Download the application within your student portal. Log into your student portal and select the Student Services tab.
   
   Complete all application pages 1 – 15, of the fillable PDF and save in PDF format. Ensure that the file name includes your first and last name and NLU student ID.
   
   Add your maiden OR other names to your application IF some of your academic transcripts are not in your current name. Sign where appropriate (electronic signatures are okay). Submit all 15 pages of the application upload, within your portal. Emailed applications will not be accepted.
   
   Uploading Your DFI Application and Supporting Documents Via Your Student Portal
   
   
2. Official NLU Unconditional Admission’s Acceptance Letter - Applicant must be fully admitted (not conditionally) to the degree program for which funding is being sought. Your Admission/Acceptance letter must show that you are fully admitted to the program. The letter may be an email from the Admission’s Office. Please save in PDF format and upload it within your portal during the application process.  Ensure that the file name includes your first and last name and NLU student ID. See samples of admissions letters and non-admissions letters.
   
   Note: If you were conditionally admitted and have taken classes at NLU, check with our Admissions Office to see if you are eligible to have the conditional admission changed to remove the conditions. If so, ask the Admissions Office to write a new letter on your behalf.
   
   
3. Essay - In the upper right-hand corner include your name and intended institution.
   Type a 300–500-word essay on the following:  What aspects of a career in higher education resonate with you on a personal and professional level? Please elaborate on what fuels your desire for a career in higher education and how your underrepresented status shapes your professional goals that are aligned with the Mission of the DFI program.
   
   Please include a list of your academic awards, presentations, publications, and honors. See more details, regarding essay requirements, within the application packet on page 5. Please write and edit your statement before copying and pasting it within the designated area while completing the application steps.
   
   Your essay must be written at the master’s level in order to compete for the fellowship. Essays that are grammatically incorrect (with run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, incorrect tense, incomplete and/or non-cohesive thoughts and sentences, non-cohesive paragraphs, etc.) are not acceptable and NLU will not submit your application to IBHE for consideration. 

We strongly recommend that you do ALL of the following, well in advance of the deadline:

• • Take advantage of the free resources that NLU offers. Using the drop-off essay review might be easier but scheduling an appointment tends to be more productive: https://nl.edu/learning-support/drop-off-essay-and-assignment/. Or, you may schedule an appointment here: https://nl.edu/learning-support/schedule-an-appointment/. Please contact Learning Support if you have any questions about their services. Email learn@nl.eduor call 312-261-3374.
  • Seek assistance from two or more professionals that can help (a mentor, instructor, someone who wrote a letter of recommendation for you, etc.). Ask at least twoof them to proofread your statements and offer their feedback on improvements.
  • Use free online resources such as Grammarly or other writing tools to help with grammatical issues and to check sentence structure, etc.
    
    

4. Three Professional Letters of Recommendation- Please request three professional letters of recommendation. You will complete the requests during the application process within your portal. Each of your recommenders will receive an email with detailed instructions on submitting the letter of recommendation electronically. Please let them know to expect the email and follow up to confirm that they received it. We recommend letters of recommendation from an NLU faculty member (current student); a faculty member from a previous institution, or a former high school teacher, mentor, advisor, or employer.
   
   Important Notes About What Should Be Included In Each Letter of Recommendation: We recommend that you give your recommender a deadline at least two days prior to 2/19/24 to allow ample time for them to complete the recommendation. Each letter must be signed and dated within the past 12 months.  We receive many recommendation letters that do not include a date and we must reject them. Emailed recommendation letters will not be accepted. Please tell your recommender the following:  1) be sure to date the letter; 2) be sure to sign the letter, and 3) be sure that the letter of recommendation speaks to your potential to reach your intended professional goals, ability to complete graduate work, and your potential to secure a full-time position in a State of Illinois institution of higher education.

5. Official Transcripts- Must be received by 3/10/24. Electronically submit official transcripts from all colleges attended, including NLU. The transcript must either come directly from NLU’s Office of Admissions or the issuing University.

• • Transcripts that You’ve Already Submitted to NLU as part of the Admission process – If you previously had transcripts sent to our Admissions Office, please contact Admissions and ask that they forward an electronic copy to stapplications@nl.edu on your behalf with “DFI and your NLU Student ID#” in the Subject Line.
    
    
  • Additional Transcripts You Must Request - If you are missing any transcripts at the time of application (including an NLU transcript if you have received any NLU course credits), please request them from each school and have them send an electronic copy to stapplications@nl.edu on your behalf with “DFI” and your NLU Student ID# in the subject line.
    
    
  • Requesting Transcripts: Transcript requests may be submitted via Parchment to stapplications@nl.edu. We recommend Parchment, if available, so that you may track your request. If Parchment is not available, you may ask that the requested school email directly to us at stapplications@nl.eduand include “DFI, Your Name, NLU ID#” in the subject line of the email. We recommend that you not have transcripts mailed at this time. Your application will remain incomplete until receipt of official transcripts electronically.
    
    

5. Complete the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at Student Aid.gov by 3/10/24. See #6 below if ineligible to file the FAFSA.
   
   
6. If not eligible to file the FAFSA, per step 5 above, complete the 2024-2025 the Illinois RISE Act/Alternative Application for State financial aid online at https://studentportal.isac.org/en/alternativeapp by 3/10/24. Undocumented students who meet the definition of an underrepresented group may complete the Illinois RISE Act/Alternative Application.
   
   
7. Monitor your NLU Student Email Account: We will send all communications to your NLU student email address.

Renewal Applicant Checklist

Please submit the following by 3/1/24 to be considered for DFI. All documents must be submitted electronically to stapplications@nl.edu. Please include “DFI Renewal, Your Name, & NLU ID#” in the subject line of your email. Please submit items 2, 3, & 4 in the SAME email.

1. Complete the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov by 2/14/24.
   
   
2. Complete the 2024-2025 DFI Renewal Application- Complete all pages 1 – 5 and save to PDF format. Sign where appropriate (electronic signatures are okay but please email documents from your NLU email address). Submit to stapplications@nl.edu along with the items 3 and 4 below. Please include “DFI Renewal, Your Name, & NLU ID#” in the subject line of your email. Please submit items 2, 3, & 4 in the SAME email.
   
   
3. A copy of your CV/Resume that includes all items marked “Yes” on page 3 in the “Research & Professional Development” section of your application. Submit to stapplications@nl.edu. Please include “DFI Renewal, Your Name, & NLU ID#” in the subject line of your email. Please submit items 2, 3, & 4 in the SAME email.
   
   
4. Bibliographic reference for presentations and publications (if applicable). Submit to stapplications@nl.edu. Please include “DFI Renewal, Your Name, & NLU ID#” in the subject line of your email. Please submit items 2, 3, & 4 in the SAME email.

Questions

• New DFI applicants should review the frequently asked questions (FAQs). You may submit questions to NLU’s DFI Institutional Representative at stapplications@nl.edu.
  
  
• DFI recipients who have questions regarding the DFI Renewal Application process, please contact the NLU's DFI Institutional Representative at stapplications@nl.edu. If you will not be renewing your DFI Fellowship in 2024-2025, please contact NLU's DFI Institutional Representative at stapplications@nl.edu immediately to let us know and provide the reason as to why you are not planning to renew your DFI Fellowship (graduating, etc.).