Grants

Federal Pell Grant is for undergraduates, seeking their first bachelor's degree, who demonstrate significant need. Pell grant awards are up to $5,730 per year. More information on the Pell Grant can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.

This is a grant for undergraduate Illinois residents who demonstrate financial need as determined by the information supplied on the FAFSA. Awards are based upon the funds available as determined by the General Assembly of Illinois. However, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission has suspended the announcement of 2014-15 grants to students whose initial FAFSA was received by the federal processor on or after February 27, 2014. This suspension is the result of a combination of limited funding and the high volume of eligible applicants.

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

The Federal SEOG is awarded to high need students who also qualify for the Pell Grant. More information on the FSEOG can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.

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

Like other federal grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants provide money to college or career school students to help pay their education expenses.

It’s important to know that Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants have special eligibility criteria. You may be eligible to receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant if:

• You are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution 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.