Our Opportunities

Welcome to $hef!

Welcome to the scholarship website for enrolled and incoming students at The Culinary Institute of America.
Most scholarships require students to have a FAFSA for the current academic year. You can file the FAFSA here.

When Scholarships are Posted:

We post 50-70 scholarship opportunities each semester.
Scholarships for the following semesters will be accepting applications between the corresponding date range:

  • Fall 2025: April 21, 2025 – June 2, 2025
  • Spring 2026: August 11, 2025 – October 6, 2025
  • Summer 2026: December 22, 2025 – February 2, 2026

How to Apply for Scholarships:

  • To apply for any $hef scholarship, complete your incoming student deposit.
  • Your deposit will automatically create a general application, allowing you to sign in and apply for scholarships the following day.
  • Upon signing in, you will be brought to the “Recommended Opportunities” page which lists scholarships you likely qualify for.
  • To apply, click the scholarship’s name and review the description. Then, click the orange “Apply” button at the bottom.

Checking Your Scholarship Application Status:
View your application status anytime by visiting the My Applications page after logging in.

  • Submitted = Applications are still being reviewed.
  • Offered = You have been selected for the scholarship.
  • Not Selected = You were not selected for the scholarship.

You will only receive an email if you are selected for a scholarship.
Most scholarships will be awarded within 3-4 weeks of the scholarship’s deadline, but some may take longer.

External Scholarships:
Additional scholarships from outside organizations are posted on the External Scholarships page throughout the year.
To acess the external scholarships, hover or click on the “Opportunities” tab and click “External”. These scholarships are not managed or funded by the CIA.

Helpful Resources:

Scholarship Essay Checklist
Recipe Scholarship Tips
File the FAFSA
Learn More About $hef

Questions?
For questions about the Earn and Learn program: studentworkprograms@culinary.edu
For all other scholarship-related questions: $hef@culinary.edu

Opportunities Table
Award Name Actions
Four awards of $2,500 each illy Farm-to-Table Scholarship
Students participating in the Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 Farm-to-Table ...
Deadline08/04/2025
Six awards of at least $3,000 Jones Dairy Farm San Antonio Endowed Scholarship
San Antonio Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged...
Deadline08/04/2025
Up to $38,200 Kwame Onwuachi '13 Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Deadline08/04/2025
Varies Anthony Bourdain '78 Legacy Scholarship
Students who meet the following criteria may apply for this...
Deadline09/23/2025
Varies; up to $2,625 per semester Earn and Learn: The CIA's Tuition Offset Scholarship
FALL 2025 Earn and Learn: The CIA Tuition Offset Program – TERM: SEPT TO...
Deadline11/07/2025
Multiple one-year complimentary ACF Professional Culinarian Memberships ACF Professional Culinarian Membership Award for Graduating Students
Criteria: Must be in your final semester and graduating from the...
Multiple Awards - Varies Russell Ferber '02 Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Sophmore, Junior, Senior students All Campuses Baking and...
Ended
Two awards of $25,000 All-Clad Future Chefs Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$1,000 Brad Carver Memorial Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$1,500 Catherine T. Brandel Memorial Scholarship
Greystone students may apply if they meet the following...
Ended
Two awards of $2,500 Culinary Agents Supporting Future Leaders Scholarship
Students who meet the following criteria may apply: Class Level:...
Ended
$2,000 Daniel Simón Matos Guadarrama '20 Memorial Excellence Scholarship
Students who meet the following criteria may apply: Hyde Park or...
Ended
$2,500 Domaine Carneros "Le Rêve" Scholarship
Students in the Masters of Professional Studies in Wine and Beverage...
Ended
$5,000 Elisa Gropper Linowes Memorial
Hyde Park or Greystone students who meet the following criteria may...
Ended
$20,000 Greater Milwaukee Foundation Scholarship
Incoming or enrolled Hyde Park students who meet the following criteria...
Ended
Up to $4,800 Jack & Dolores Cakebread GS Endowed
Students who meet the following criteria will be considered for this...
Ended
Two awards of $2,000 Jenny Critchley Memorial Scholarship
Female Hyde Park students who meet the following criteria may...
Ended
$2,000 Matthew Lackey Follow Your Dreams Memorial Scholarship
Hyde Park students who meet the following criteria may...
Ended
$2,500 Mattison's Restaurants and Catering
Students from any campus who match the following criteria may...
Ended
Two awards of $5,000 each McCormick for Chefs: Passion for Flavor Scholarship
Hyde Park students who match the following criteria may...
Ended
Two awards of $15,000 McIlhenny Company - Tabasco Brand Scholarship
Students from any campus may apply if they meet the following...
Ended
$7,200 Michael Igdaloff '90 Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Hyde Park students who meet the following criteria may apply: Must be...
Ended
$2,500 Michael Siry Memorial Scholarship
Hyde Park students who match the following criteria may apply: Must be...
Ended
$2,000 Raghv Sharma Memorial Scholarship
The criteria for this scholarship is as follows: Hyde Park, Greystone,...
Ended
$5,000 S. Katzman Produce Scholarship
Students from any campus in any undergraduate program may apply if they...
Ended
Multiple awards of $550 Robert Parker Wine MPS Scholarship
This scholarship offsets the $550 Wine and Beverage Fee for students...
Ended
$3,430 Andre Soltner Scholarship (AIWF)
Ended
$1,000 Chaine des Rotisseurs Scholarship
This is an opportunity for students only at the San Antonio and...
Ended
$2,000 AIWF San Diego Chapter Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$40,000 ($10,000 per academic year) B & G Foods Culinary Leaders of Tomorrow
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Two awards of $2,000 Bill Briwa Memorial Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Two awards of $5,550 each Bob Gildersleeve '90 Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$3,700 Chef Brian Kaywork '02 Legacy Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Hyde Park students who meet the following criteria may apply: Current...
Ended
$3,000 Chef Robert Briggs Memorial Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Up to three awards of $10,000 Compass Group Scholarship
Students meeting the following criteria are encouraged to apply: Class...
Ended
$800 Debra Powell Memorial Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements will be automatically...
Ended
Multiple Awards, Amount Varies FDNY Lt. Peter J. Farrenkopf Memorial Scholarship
The purpose of this scholarship is to help a student or students with...
Ended
$2,500 Food For Yu Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$3,500.00 Fuller Goldsmith Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$800 Grand Marnier Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements will be reviewed...
Ended
Up to three awards of $5,000 each IFMA Award for Juniors and Seniors
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Two awards of $1,000 each IFMA Gold & Silver
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$38,200 International Wine & Food Society Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Up to $5,000 James Fricker Memorial Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Two awards of $3,250 John P. '78 and Andrea M. Dorman Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following criteria are encouraged to...
Ended
Two awards of $3,850 Joyce & Joel Buchman Legacy Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Up to $4,400 Kepic Naeymi-Rad Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements will be automatically...
Ended
Several awards up to $2,500 per semester Marcos Hardy Sanders Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
Two awards of $4,200 Murphy Family Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended
$6,600 Nielsen-Massey Foundation Endowed Scholarship
Students meeting the following requirements are encouraged to...
Ended