How It Works : The Rockford Promise at NIU

For eligible students, the Rockford Promise Program at NIU guarantees that tuition and general fee costs will be met by gift aid such as grants and scholarships. (Note: This does not include your housing costs.) We'll look at your initial NIU, federal and state aid to determine whether there is an unmet tuition-and-general-fee balance. If there is, a Rockford Promise Scholarship and/or an NIU Rockford Promise Grant will be applied to bring your tuition-and-general-fee balance to zero. Scholarships and/or grants through the program are renewable annually for up to four years total as long as a student continues to meet program requirements.

If there is unmet need, and if you qualify for both the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge and Rockford Promise programs, you cannot receive aid through both. In that event, only the Huskie Pledge Program will be used to help meet any unmet tuition or general fee expenses. However, you can still benefit from Rockford Promise at NIU support services, including mentoring, job-readiness training and access to a community of other area scholars.

The following are examples that help show how the Rockford Promise Program at NIU works.

Freshman Student One

This student meets Rockford Promise at NIU eligibility requirements. The student will receive financial support from both the Rockford Promise organization and NIU to ensure that the student will pay no tuition and general fees during the first year at NIU—and potentially beyond, if the student continues to meet program requirements.

Example Amount
Annual Tuition and General Fees ($12,504.36)
NIU Merit Scholarship $2,000
NIU Advantage Need Grant $2,000
Rockford Promise Scholarship $6,000
NIU Rockford Promise Grant $2,504.36
Remaining Tuition and General Fees Balance $0

Freshman Student Two

If a qualifying student from Rockford has a family adjusted gross income at or below $100,000, the NIU Huskie Pledge Program will help meet any unmet tuition or general fee expenses. The student can still benefit from Rockford Promise at NIU support services, but additional scholarships or grants through the program will not be applied to the financial aid offer.

Example Amount
Annual Tuition and General Fees ($12,504.36)
NIU Merit Scholarship $1,000
MAP Grant $8,400
NIU Advantage Need Grant $1,000
Huskie Pledge Grant $2,104.36
Remaining Tuition and General Fees Balance $0

Freshman Student Three

This student’s tuition and fees are met by other scholarships and aid. In fact, gift aid exceeds the amount of tuition and fees, so some aid may be available to be applied to campus housing. As a Rockford Promise Scholar, the student can still benefit from program support services, but an additional scholarship and/or grant associated with the program will not be applied.

Example Amount
Annual Tuition and General Fees ($12,504.36)
NIU Merit Scholarship $2,000
Pell Grant $7,395
MAP Grant $8,400
Rockford Promise Foundation Grant $0
Remaining Tuition and General Fees Balance $0
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