7.7.8 Tuition and Fee Waivers Policy

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

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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/.
   
5. 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.
6. 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
7. 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 .
8. 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.