Students pursuing careers in real estate must submit their applications by April 1 to be considered for a 2019-2020 Thomas F. Seay Scholarship, offered by the Illinois Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF).

Applications and accompanying materials must be submitted online and/or postmarked by April 1 and sent to the REEF office in Springfield. Included in the application is a brief description of the student’s activities, intellectual interests, employment, prospective line of study and career goals. Applicants must be Illinois residents, U.S. citizens and plan to study full time at any accredited college or university in the United States. Get the Seay application now.

Seay scholarships of up to $2,000 are awarded annually, although the number of scholarships awarded will be determined by REEF.  Scholarships may be used for tuition, room and board, textbooks and materials.

Scholarships will be awarded using the following criteria:

  • Applicant’s intended course of study and career goals;
  • Applicant’s record of scholastic achievement, including academic grade point average;
  • Applicant’s economic need or situation; and
  • Applicant’s references and recommendations by instructors, employers, REALTORS® and other prominent individuals.

Seay was a 1964 president of the Chicago Real Estate Board, a member of the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors and the National Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors. He was the president and chairman of the board of Seay and Thomas, Inc., REALTORS® headquartered in Chicago.

REEF is a not-for-profit organization established to aid and promote the work of real estate education throughout Illinois. The foundation is supported by voluntary contributions from organizations and individuals who recognize the importance of furthering academic experience and training in the real estate industry in Illinois.

Other scholarships with April deadlines

REEF offers seven other scholarships with April 1 deadlines: Academic Scholarship, Morgan L. Fitch Scholarship, Daniel L. Goodwin Scholarship, James M. Kinney Scholarship, Parker R. Oldenettel Scholarship, George Patt Scholarship and Richard D. Wiegers Scholarship.

The Alan S. Toban Grant Fund has an April 15 deadline.

For more information and applications, go to ilreef.org/scholarship/.

Since 2000, REEF has awarded more than $660,000 in scholarships to real estate professionals and their families.