Purpose
Tuition and fee waivers are an agreement between the student and the University to reduce or eliminate tuition and/or fees. All Illinois public universities are authorized to award two general types of tuition and fee waivers: Mandatory Waivers and Discretionary Waivers. Mandatory waivers are authorized by state statute and are awarded to eligible students who meet the specific parameters and criteria included in the statute. Discretionary waivers, including statutory waivers, are granted at the discretion of the University.
Tuition and/or Fee Waiver Programs
Tuition and/or fee waiver programs are divided into mandatory waivers and discretionary waivers. Each waiver program has specific eligibility requirements and selection criteria. Each waiver program may offer tuition waivers, fee waivers, and/or other reimbursement in accordance with specific program requirements.
Mandatory Waivers
- Special Education Teacher Scholarships (110 ILCS 947/65.15): Provides tuition and mandatory fee scholarships to encourage current teachers and academically talented students to pursue careers in any area of special education who are required to teach at a nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool, elementary, or secondary school. Any such person who does not fufill this teaching requirement is required to pay to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission the amount of tuition waived by virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship, together with applicable interest charges. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: www.isac.org
- Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarships (105 ILCS 5/30-16.1): Scholarships are offered to eligible residents of Illinois whose academic standing enables them to enroll in ROTC programs. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: https://rotc.illinoisstate.edu
- Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Scholarships and Fee Waivers (20 ILCS 505/9):(20 ILCS 505/8): The IL DCFS may select an annual cohort, including children of veterans, to be eligible for scholarship and fee waivers for at least five years provided the individual is continuing to work toward graduation at any university or college maintained by the State of Illinois. Application criteria and procedures for these tuition and fee waivers are available at: illinois.gov/dcfs.
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Partial Tuition Waivers for Children of University Employees (110 ILCS 675/20-90):(110 ILCS 675/20-90): Public university governing boards must offer fifty percent tuition waivers toward the undergraduate education of the children of employees who have been employed by the granting university and/or any public university in Illinois for an aggregate period of at least seven years. These waivers are governed by University Policy 1.17 Employee Tuition Waiver Benefits. At Illinois State University this benefit is capped at 126 credit hours paid at fifty percent. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: https://hr.illinoisstate.edu/benefits/tuition/.
- Senior Citizen Courses Act(110 ILCS 990): Permits qualifying senior citizens who are accepted to enroll in a participating Illinois public institution of higher education to attend regularly scheduled for-credit courses without payment of tuition provided classroom space exists and paying students enrolled constitute the minimum number required for the course. Students are responsible for payment of fees. Participants must be age 65 or older with an annual household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: FinancialAid.IllinoisState.edu.
- Illinois Veteran Grants (110 ILCS 947/40): Any qualified applicant as defined by the statute is not required to pay any tuition or mandatory fees while attending a participating Illinois public institution for a period equivalent to four years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: isac.org
- Illinois National Guard Grants(110 ILCS 947/45): Any individual who has served at least one year in the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia and who possesses all necessary entrance requirements shall, upon application and proof, be awarded a grant exempting tuition and certain fees for not more than the equivalent of four years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms. An individual that has served more than ten years in the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia is eligible for a grant exempting tuition and certain fees that is the equivalent of six academic years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: isac.org .
- MIA/POW Scholarships (105 ILCS 5/30-14.2): An applicant must be the spouse, widow, natural child, stepchild, or legally adopted child of the eligible veteran or service person to qualify. Applicants who meet all necessary entrance requirements shall, upon application and proof, be awarded a MIA/POW scholarship exempting tuition and certain fees for not more than the equivalent of four years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms. Application criteria and procedures for these waivers are available at: https://www2.illinois.gov/veterans/benefits/Pages/education.aspx.
Discretionary Waivers
Specific selection criteria are defined by the awarding school, department, or unit. Units that issue discretionary tuition waivers in the categories listed below must develop specific and measurable written selection criteria and document how the student has met all requirements before awarding a tuition and/or fee waiver.
Budgeted Waivers:
The process for allocating discretionary waivers awarded by the University is determined by the number of budgeted waivers available for distribution. Budgeted waivers are determined by the Budget Office in accordance with University finances and goals. Schools, departments, and units are limited in the number of graduate assistantships they award based upon their graduate assistantship stipend budget.
Waiver Categories:
The following categories have been approved for discretionary waivers and entitlement programs at the University. The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) must approve all university requests for additional waiver reporting categories not specifically listed in the Standard Tuition and Fee Waiver Chart of Accounts prior to reporting. The University has discretion to award the following waivers within the bounds of State requirements, University and Board policy, and state/federal laws and regulations.
- Student Talent and Merit Waivers:
- Academic or Other Talent
- Athletic
- Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics [110 ILCS 205/9.24]
- Foreign Exchange Students
- Out-of-State Students
- Foreign Students
- Fellowships
- Student Need Waivers
- Financial Aid Waivers
- Special Program Waivers
- Student Service Waivers
- Cooperating Professionals
- Graduate Research Assistants
- Graduate Teaching Assistants
- Other Graduate Assistants
- Contract/Training Grants
- Non-GA Departmental Waivers
- Employee Waivers (Employee waivers are governed by University Policy 3.1.17 Employee Tuition Waiver Benefits):
- Employee Waiver
- Faculty, Staff, and Retired ISU employees for attendance at Illinois State University.
- Civil Service Employees for attendance at any designated Illinois public university.
- Dependent Waivers
Records Maintenance
Discretionary waiver application, selection, and notification processes are decentralized activities. The units awarding tuition and/or fee waivers are responsible for maintaining written documentation supporting tuition and fee waiver advertising, application, selection, notification, and, where performance of duties is a condition for the receipt of a tuition waiver (e.g., graduate assistantships or grant programs), a copy of the contract signed by the student. Verification of student eligibility and all student tuition waiver files are maintained within the appropriate administrative or academic unit.
Monitoring and Reporting
The Financial Aid Office is responsible for the overall monitoring of Illinois State University’s tuition waiver program, including the adoption of written policies and procedures. Student Accounts is responsible for the implementation of appropriate methods of counting the value and number of waivers. The Budget Office works with Student Accounts to report this data to the IBHE. In addition, the University conducts internal audits of tuition and fee waivers and participates in external audits conducted by the Illinois Auditor General’s Office. Audits occur as needed to allow process improvements from previous audits to be enacted.
Illinois State University reports tuition and fee waivers consistent with state and federal law. Waivers are reported as budgeted, granted, or expended within a particular fiscal year in which the corresponding tuition and/or fees are recognized as revenue. In instances where waivers are adjusted after the end of the fiscal year, the University utilizes a cut-off date of August 31 to facilitate fiscal year reporting. Adjustments made after the cut-off date are re-allocated to the following fiscal year. The University has written procedures to implement effectively this cut-off date.
Records of student waiver programs outlined above are maintained in accordance with state statute or institutional policy identified in the Illinois State University Records Management plan approved in accordance with the Illinois State Records Act, 5 ILCS 160.