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This program waives tuition at Illinois public post-secondary institutions along with the activity fee and graduation fee. Tuition may be waived at all levels (undergraduate, graduate and law).
To receive the waiver, the applicant must be:
A spouse, natural child, legally adopted child or any step-child of a veteran or service person who has been declared by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war, missing in action, has died as the result of a service-connected disability, or is permanently disabled from a service connected cause with 100 percent disability and who, at the time of entering service, was an Illinois resident or was an Illinois resident within six (6) months of entering service.
An eligible dependent is entitled to full payment of tuition and certain fees to any state-supported Illinois institution of higher learning consisting of the equivalent of four calendar years of full-time enrollment including summer terms. The holder of the scholarship shall be subject to all examination academic standards, including the maintenance of minimum grade levels that are applicable to others enrolled in the Illinois institution of higher learning where the scholarship is used.
Applications are available online or through the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The student applies one time for the scholarship and can use it at any eligible school. The student must submit a copy of the scholarship card to the school once he/she has been issued the certificate of eligibility.
The Illinois Veteran Grant Program pays eligible tuition and allowable fees for eligible undergraduate, graduate and law students at all Illinois public colleges and universities.
A veteran, National Guard or reserve member must have:
Please refer to the application for further requirements.
Prior to fall 2005, the Illinois Veteran Grant paid for off-campus extension course fees and non-credit courses, as well as the application fee and graduation fee. Students who have continuously been enrolled since spring or summer 2005 will continue to have those fees paid. Students will no longer receive those non-mandatory benefits when they fail to enroll for a regular school year term (fall or spring), except for reasons of being called to federal active duty service.
At the beginning of each semester, please stop by Military and Veteran Services to ensure that your Illinois Veteran Grant has been applied to your account.
The Illinois Veteran Grant covers in-state tuition and mandatory fees (this excludes regional course charges and outreach delivery fees).
Students have a maximum eligibility of 120 points. Each credit hour is equal to one point with a maximum of 12 points assessed for students enrolled full-time with 12 or more credit hours per semester.
The grant requires a one-time application that can be used at any eligible school. The student must submit a copy of his/her award letter from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to Military and Veteran Services.
For more detailed information about the Illinois Veteran Grant, including a downloadable application, visit Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program on the ISAC website. (IVG application)
If you are a member of the Illinois National Guard, you may be eligible to receive the Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant.
To receive the waiver, please refer to the link below for the eligibility requirements:
Illinois National Guard Grant Eligibility Requirements
Note: You must maintain the minimum grade point average (GPA) 2.0. If you fall below 2.0 and are on academic probation, you have the probationary period (one semester) to increase the GPA to remain eligible to use the grant.
This program waives tuition at Illinois public post-secondary institutions along with the activity fee and graduation fee. Tuition may be waived at all levels (undergraduate, graduate and law).
The student must apply each academic year for the award. An award letter from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission should be submitted to the institution when applying.
Applications can be downloaded from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission's site at Illinois National Guard Grant.
This program waives tuition and the activity fee. These awards are for students participating in the ROTC program. Determination of eligibility is made by the Department of Military Science at 815-753-7682.
Other ROTC scholarships, both state and federal, are awarded through the Air Force ROTC program at the Illinois Institute of Technology, which requires attendance at classes once or twice a week at their Chicago campus.
Additional information can be obtained by calling 312-567-3525.
Scholarships for veterans, military service members and their dependents:
815-753-0691
815-753-0943 (fax)
mss@niu.edu
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