Grants

The Pell Grant is a federal grant program designed to assists first-time undergraduate students in low- and moderate-income households to pay for college. The award amount is based on the cost of the institution, SAI, and enrollment status, and is subject to an aggregate limit. 

More information on the Pell Grant can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.  

Lifetime Pell Grant Limits 

Students are limited to 12 semesters (or 600%) of Pell Grant eligibility during their lifetime. This change affects all students regardless of when or where they received their first Pell Grant.

You may view your percentage of Pell Grant used by logging into www.studentaid.gov. Your 'Lifetime Eligibility Used' percentage will be displayed in the 'Grants' section.  

Pell Grant Award Amounts

The maximum Federal Pell Grant award is $7,395 for the 2024–25 award year. The amount you get, though, will depend on:

• your Student Aid Index (based on your FAFSA form),
• the cost of attendance (determined by your school for your specific program),
• your status as a full-time or part-time student, and
• your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.

The State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant is a grant for undergraduate Illinois residents who demonstrate financial need as determined by the information supplied on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Because MAP funding is historically insufficient to meet the demand, a suspension date is typically implemented a few months after the FAFSA has been made available on October 1st. Students are encourage to complete the FAFSA as close to the October 1st date as possible in order to be considered for eligibility.

The MAP Grant is based on enrollment in 15 semester credit hours. This means that you will get 100% of your MAP Grant if you are enrolled in 15 hours. If you enroll in less than 15 hours, your MAP Grant will be prorated based on the number of hours for which you are enrolled. For example:

                Total semester MAP Grant: $4200

                Number of semester hours: 9

                Eligible MAP Grant award:  9/15 X $4200 = $2520 

More information on the MAP Grant program and updates can be found on the Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s website.

Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act and Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid

The Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act allows eligible undocumented students who are disqualified from federal financial aid to apply for all forms of state financial aid. The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) provides a way for these qualified students to apply for Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants, the state's largest need-based grant program for low-income college students.

A Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a federal grant provided by the institution to qualified undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and does not need to be repaid. 

Each award year, the institution receives a certain amount of FSEOG funds from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid. Once the full amount of the school’s FSEOG funds has been awarded to students, no more FSEOG awards can be made for that year. So, make sure you apply for federal student aid (complete your FAFSA) as early as you can.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is a federal grant available to undergraduate and graduate students who agree to serve for at least four years as full-time, highly qualified teachers in high-need fields in public or not-for-profit private elementary or secondary schools that serve students from low-income families. 

You should consider this grant only if you are committed to teaching a high-need subject in a designated low-income school. If the teaching requirement is not met, the grant will convert to an unsubsidized loan, which will have to be repaid with interest calculated back to the date the funds were disbursed. The TEACH grant maximum is $4,000 per year. 

Review the list of eligible TEACH programs.

More information on the TEACH grant can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.

2024-25 AND FORWARD
Effective with the 2024-25 award year, as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act, the Special Rule for Pell Grants replaces the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG) and the Children of Fallen Heroes (CFH) Scholarship with new or modified eligibility criteria for a student who is less than 33 years old as of the first of January of the FAFSA award year and who indicate on the FAFSA that their parent or guardian died in the line of duty while:

1. Serving on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001 (i.e., IASG); or
2. Actively serving as and performing the duties of a public safety officer (i.e., CFH).

If you answered yes to the FAFSA question the Financial Aid and Scholarships office will request documentation in the Financial Aid Tool. Once eligibility is confirmed, eligible students will receive a maximum Pell Grant regardless of their Student Aid Index (adjusted for enrollment intensity).

2023-24 AND PRIOR
Eligibility requirements:
You may be eligible to receive the Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant if:

• You are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) but meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and
• Your parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, and
• You were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent’s or guardian’s death.

You may qualify if: 

1. If you plan to teach at a nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool, elementary school, or secondary school, for which the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has determined that no less than 30 percent of the enrolled students are African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American, or Native American; and 
2. you are of African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American or Native American origin or are a qualified bilingual minority applicant, then you may qualify for up to $7,500 per year as part of the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program. Funds from this program may be used  to pay for tuition, fees and room and board, or commuter allowances, if applicable. This scholarship may be received for a maximum of the equivalent of four academic years (eight semesters or 12 quarters) of full-time enrollment.

As part of the application process, you must agree to the terms and conditions that are outlined in the application's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note (available for 2017-18 academic year and later via the Program Requirements page). By receiving this scholarship, you must teach in Illinois. If this teaching commitment is not fulfilled, the scholarship converts to a loan, and you must repay the entire amount plus interest.

 Eligibility 

To be eligible, you must:

• be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen or meet the “undocumented student” criteria of the RISE Act

• be a resident of Illinois

• be a minority student of either African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American or Native American origin, or a qualified bilingual minority applicant

• be a high school graduate or hold a General Educational Development (GED) certificate

• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis as an undergraduate or graduate student at an Illinois institution of higher education, and:

• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study which, upon completion, qualifies you to be licensed as a preschool, elementary or secondary school teacher by the Illinois State Board of Education, including alternative teacher licensure; or

• if you are already licensed to teach, be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a master’s degree in an academic field in which you are teaching or plan to teach; or

• if you are not yet enrolled in an educator preparation program, have received one or more College and Career Pathway Endorsements and commit to enrolling in a course of study leading to teacher licensure, including alternative teacher licensure

• have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale if enrolled at the sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level

• maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by your college

• complete the application process by:

• submitting a fully-completed Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program application, which includes the Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note, and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or (if applicable) Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid – in order to receive priority consideration for an award, both complete applications must be received on or before the March 31 immediately preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is requested,

• being certified as meeting eligibility requirements by the college at which you will use the scholarship, and

• accepting the scholarship (if one is offered)

• sign the application's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note promising to fulfill the teaching commitment or repay funds received plus interest

• the teaching commitment for this program must be fulfilled

• at a nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool, elementary school, or secondary school, for which the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has determined that no less than 30 percent of the enrolled students are African American/Black, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Native American,

• or, if you received the MTI Scholarship as a qualified bilingual minority applicant, in a transitional bilingual education program or in a school in which at least 20 English learner students in the same language classification are enrolled

• the percentage of an Illinois school's enrolled students meeting minority status requirements can be found at ISBE's Illinois Report Card by using the “IL Interactive Report Card” function and typing in the school's name.

• not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund on any state or federal grant. If you are in default, you may re-establish your eligibility.

• not have previously received funds from the MTI Scholarship Program for the equivalent of four academic years, which is the program maximum

• not receive funds from the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program or the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program during the same term(s) for which you receive funds from the MTI Scholarship Program. Although recipients of MTI awards are not eligible to receive tuition assistance through the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program for the same term(s), qualified students may be eligible to participate with the Golden Apple Foundation. Interested students can contact the Golden Apple Foundation.

How to Apply 

The Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program Application/Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note, which must be submitted each academic year in order to apply for the MTI Scholarship, is currently available online via the Program Applications & Status Checks area of the ISAC Student Portal.

In order to complete this online application, you must log in to the ISAC Student Portal (if you have not already done so, you may create a profile here). For priority consideration, your complete MTI Scholarship application and FAFSA (or Alternative Application, if applicable) must be received on or before March 31 preceding the academic year for which you are applying (for example, the priority application consideration date for the 2024-25 academic year was March 31, 2024). You must submit both applications each year you wish to be considered for a scholarship. Because the number of scholarships awarded each year is based on limited funding, it is possible that not all applicants who meet the March 31 priority consideration deadline will receive a scholarship. You are encouraged to submit your applications as far in advance of March 31 as possible. Applications received after that date will be given consideration for the scholarship only if funding remains available after all timely, qualified applicants have been awarded.

Even if you are not certain where you will be attending college in the fall, you are strongly encouraged to submit your complete applications on or before the March 31 priority application consideration date, listing the approved Illinois college you are most likely to attend. If you then decide to attend a different college after your applications have been submitted, you must report that change to ISAC, as described below in the Changes to Application Data section.

If you are a teacher or an academically talented student pursuing a career in special education, you may be eligible for the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program if you teach at one of the following Illinois schools that has been approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE):

• a nonprofit public, private or parochial preschool, or

• a nonprofit public, private or parochial elementary school, or

• a nonprofit public, private or parochial secondary school.

This program will exempt you from paying tuition and mandatory fees at an eligible institution for up to four calendar years, provided you have not yet obtained an initial licensure in any area of special education. Mandatory fees are those assessed by a college that are required to deliver educational services to students for each term, regardless if the student is attending on-campus or through distance education. Examples include fees for activities, facility operations, grants, health, registration, technology, transportation and – when applicable – fees associated with online learning. The college determines fees that are considered mandatory.

By receiving the tuition waiver, you must teach in Illinois in the field of special education. If this teaching commitment is not fulfilled, the amount of benefits received converts to a loan, and you must repay the entire amount plus interest. It is recommended that you monitor your college billing statements to keep track of the amount waived, in the unlikely event the tuition waiver converts to a loan. You can estimate the loan payments by accessing the Monthly Payment Estimates Calculator on this website. 

SETTW recipients, including those who are pursuing or have secured a position as a Speech-Language Pathologist, should take note that in order to fulfill the teaching requirements, their position must be that of a “teacher”, as certified by their employing school official.  A “teacher” is defined as a person who provides direct classroom-type teaching or classroom-type teaching in a non-classroom setting.

Accordingly, only if a Speech-Language Pathologist’s teaching position meets the above definition, and is certified as such by the school official, would the position be considered as fulfilling the SETTW teaching requirements.

Eligibility 

To be eligible, you must:

• be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen or meet the “undocumented student” criteria of the RISE Act

• be an Illinois resident

• meet one of the following conditions: you are a high school graduate; or you are scheduled to graduate from an approved high school by the end of the academic year in which the award is made and you performed in the upper half of your graduating class according to performance-based academic data provided by the high school; or you hold a valid teaching license that is not in the discipline of special education

• be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, at one of the eligible public four-year colleges in Illinois (providing the institution offers a concentration in Special Education) as an undergraduate or graduate student seeking initial licensure in any area of special education

• be enrolled in a program of special education within 10 days after the beginning of the term for which the waiver was initially awarded

• not at any time have received cumulative Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver benefits that equal or exceed the program maximum of four calendar years (note that, once you obtain an initial licensure in any area of special education, you are no longer eligible for this program regardless of how many years you have used the waiver)

• complete the application process by:

• submitting a fully-completed Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program application, which includes the Teaching Agreement/Master Promissory Note (in order to receive priority consideration for an award, the complete application must be received at ISAC on or before the March 1 immediately preceding the academic year for which the tuition waiver is requested),

• being certified as meeting eligibility requirements by the college at which you will use the tuition waiver, and

• accepting the tuition waiver (if one is offered)*

• sign the application's Teaching Agreement/Master Promissory Note promising to fulfill the teaching commitment or repay funds received plus interest

• maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by your college

• remain in attendance at the college on a continuous basis for up to four years (unless granted an approved leave of absence, in which case the course of study must be completed within six years)

• not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund on any state or federal grant. If you are in default, you may re-establish your eligibility.

• not receive funds from the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program or the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program during the same term(s) for which you receive funds from the Illinois SETTW Program. Although recipients of the SETTW Program are not eligible to receive tuition assistance through the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program for the same term(s), qualified students may be eligible to participate with the Golden Apple Foundation. Interested students can contact the Golden Apple Foundation.

* Once an academic year has ended, adjustments to benefits received will not be made for individuals who originally had their expenses (e.g., tuition and fees) covered using those benefits (i.e., the applicant cannot choose to "pay back" the dollar amount of benefits used in order to reinstate eligibility for the future).

In addition to eligibility requirements, applicants should also be aware of the rights and responsibilities for program recipients. 

How to Apply 

The Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program Application/Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note is accessed online via the Program Applications & Status Checks area of the ISAC Student Portal.

In order to complete this online application, you must log in to the ISAC Student Portal (if you have not already done so, you may create a profile here). For priority consideration, your complete application must be submitted (i.e., electronically signed or postmarked) on or before March 1 preceding the academic year for which you are applying. Applications submitted after that date will be given consideration for the award if, after the initial round of awarding, all 250 available tuition waivers have not been awarded. If you are eligible for the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver, you will receive a notice of eligibility by July 1.

If you applied, but were not selected to receive the waiver or you did not use a waiver you had been awarded, you may reapply in subsequent years. However, once you've received and used a tuition waiver, you do not need to reapply for consideration for additional years.

Even if you are not certain where you will be attending college in the fall, you are strongly encouraged to submit a complete application on or before the March 1 priority application consideration date, listing the approved Illinois college you are most likely to attend. If you then decide to attend a different college after your application has been submitted, you must report that change to ISAC, as described below in the Changes to Application Data section.

When a new Illinois SETTW recipient is named, the college must provide ISAC with verification of the student's enrollment and program eligibility. The college is also asked to verify the recipient's enrollment and continued eligibility status for each academic year that the tuition waiver is renewed.