Scholarships
Scholarships
The ICC offers four different scholarships – the MLK scholarship, the Bridge scholarship, the Solidarity Fund scholarship, and the COVID-19 scholarship. The MLK scholarship deadline for fall 2025 is September 26th. All other scholarship applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. For more information on eligibility and award amounts, please see the relevant sections below. For information on payment plans, see this page.
Appeals
Payment plans and scholarships are voted on by the Finance Committee, made up of Board Representatives and Member Assistants from different ICC houses and chaired by the VP of Finance (non-voting). Applicant names and pronouns are redacted and can only seen by the VP of Finance, Finance Department Liaison, and General Manager (payment plans only).
If a member is unsatisfied with the decision that FinCom reaches, they can appeal to the VP of Finance. The VP may request additional documentation or explanation of the applicant’s extenuating circumstances if they believe that applies. The VP may then present the additional information to the Finance Committee for a secondary review.
If the member is unsatisfied with or has a concern about scholarship or payment plan policies, they can request an appointment with the Finance Committee to ask questions or discuss their situation.
If the member remains unsatisfied after exploring these options, they can request a review and consultation with the Board of Directors.
Martin Luther King Scholarship
Purpose: This scholarship is intended to provide monthly assistance for members pursuing educational goals with demonstrated financial need.
Eligibility: For the Fall/Winter contract period, an applicant must be enrolled for the term that they wish to receive aid. If a member is graduating in December, they would be eligible for the MLK scholarship for the Fall term only. For the Summer contract period, an applicant must either be enrolled in at least one Spring or Summer term class or have been enrolled in the previous Fall and Winter terms and registered for classes for the upcoming Fall term.
Amount: For 2026-2027, awards range from $40-$260/month based on DFN. The amount you receive will depend on the cost of your tuition, the amount of scholarships/grants you receive, and your FAFSA Student Aid Index (or other measure of parent/guardian support for international members & members with special circumstances). Earned income is also considered, but at a reduced rate. New for Summer 2025: Applicants with an SAI under 7395 will receive a minimum guaranteed scholarship of $40/month. Final award amounts will be decided by the Finance Committee in early June.
Disbursement: The MLK scholarship is disbursed monthly in the form of credit to the applicant’s Rent Manager account. The award won’t be posted until the contract period has started and the application has been reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee. Applicants getting the guaranteed minimum scholarship will have the provisional $40/month applied within 2 weeks of application, or once the application is reviewed by the Finance Committee (whichever is earlier). If an application is approved after the start of the term, retroactive credit will be posted to the member’s account for the previous months (e.g. for fall/winter awards announced in mid-October, retroactive credits will be applied for September and October).
Application Details: Applications for Summer 2026 are now open and will close May 22nd, 2026. The application form can be found at this link.
Fall/Winter applications will open in July and close in September (exact dates TBD). Applications received after that date will be considered if there are remaining MLK funds.
Bridge Scholarship
Purpose: This scholarship is intended to act as emergency assistance for a member experiencing a one-time unforeseen financial difficulty.
Eligibility: The Bridge scholarship is open to any ICC member, including non-students, who are experiencing a loss of income, a change in ability to generate personal income, or unexpected additional expenses that have interfered with their ability to pay charges. Members are eligible for one Bridge scholarship award per fiscal year (May through April).
Amount: Discretionary, generally $300-$500
Disbursement: The Bridge scholarship is disbursed as a credit to the applicant’s Rent Manager account once the application is reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee.
Application Details: Bridge scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year until funds are exhausted. Applications should be filled out alongside a payment plan – the member should include a cover letter explaining their situation, along with their expected ability to pay and the amount they are requesting – the Finance Committee may grant that request or may make a different decision. The Payment Plan application can be found here and the Bridge Scholarship application can be found here.
Solidarity Fund
Purpose: The Solidarity Fund is a mutual aid scholarship program intended to provide aid for members with financial need and/or those who do not qualify for other scholarships offered by the ICC. It is fully funded by member contributions and alumni donations. The default contribution for members is $5 per month – if a member wants to opt up, make a one-time contribution, or opt out, please fill out this form. For alumni/friends of the co-op, the preferred ways to donate are through GoFundMe or JustGiving.
Eligibility: Any current member of the ICC is eligible to apply, and there is no limit on the number of terms a member may receive the scholarship.
Amount: $300 per term. Number of awards varies based on available funds.
Disbursement: Solidarity Scholarships are awarded as a credit to the recipient’s Rent Manager account.
Application Details: Applications for Solidarity Fund scholarships will open in the third month of each term. Winter 2026 applications will be open March 9th to March 27th.
COVID-19 Scholarship
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICC leaders formed a COVID-19 fundraising group to brainstorm ways to solve our member debt problems due to unforeseen circumstances. On May 5th, 2020, ICC leaders launched a GoFundMe campaign on Giving Tuesday to create this scholarship to provide aid for members affected by the COVID-19 virus.
All applicants must provide proof of a positive COVID-19 test and documentation that shows a direct impact to the member’s income.
Yes, we still have funds! This money has been set aside for this purpose and cannot be used for anything else. If you think you might qualify, please apply here.
The size of an applicant’s grant is based on their “Demonstrated Financial Need” (DFN) and the amount of funds available. An applicant’s DFN is calculated using the various pieces of personal financial information requested in the application (see the section “How is DFN Calculated?” for more information). The maximum grant amount for the 2025-2026 fiscal year (May 2025 through April 2026) is $260 per month. The Finance Committee determines award amounts and cutoffs after receiving all applications for a given term. The median 2025-26 award amount for Income Qualifying members (students with SAI under 7395 and/or receiving a Pell grant) was $85.50/month, and the median award amount for non-Income Qualifying members was $54/month.
DFN = Expenses – Resources
Expenses are tuition and fees, ICC charges, and house charges. The difference between tuition/fees and scholarships/grants received is normalized for in-state and out-of-state students, so your tuition need is based on what percentage of your educational costs are covered.
Resources are scholarships, grants, family/parental contributions, income from working, etc. Income from working is adjusted downwards for the DFN calculation to reflect the challenges associated with working while taking classes (see the Labor Income section below). For domestic students, submission of SAI is required (even for graduate students!). We use an adjusted SAI to calibrate resource calculations.
Labor Income
Labor income is adjusted downward by Ann Arbor minimum wage at the start of the term ($10.33 for Fall/Winter 2024-25, $12.48 for Summer 2025 and Fall/Winter 2025-26). The “adjusted” labor income is calculated using the following formula: (hourly wage – $10.33) * (average hours worked per week) * 4 (approximate weeks per month) * (number of months in the contract period). For example, an applicant working 20 hours per week at $15/hour would make approximately $9,600 over the fall/winter term, but their adjusted labor income for the DFN calculation would be ($15/hr – $10.33/hr) * (20 hours per week) * (4 weeks per month) * (8 months in a fall/winter contract) = $2,988.88. If you work for less than $10.10/hour, your DFN labor income resource is $0 – it cannot be negative. Tipped employees will have an approximate hourly rate calculated from their most recent pay stub.
Loans
In general, loans are not counted as a resource. If your parents are loaning you their own money with the expectation that you will repay them, this should be reported in the “parental contribution” portion of the application.
Applications for aid through the MLK scholarship are typically processed in the first month of the contract period – double check application deadlines before the term starts to ensure you don’t miss your opportunity. Solidarity Fund applications open in the third month of the term, and Bridge applications are currently being disbursed on a rolling basis.
