Policy on Tuition and Fees Waivers (Policy 76)

Purpose:

This policy establishes the University processes for authorizing tuition and fee waiver programs and the purposes of such programs, establishing waiver budget and expenditure levels, and allocating waivers to waiver programs.

1. Tuition and Fee Waivers: An agreement between the student and the University to reduce or eliminate assessed tuition and/or fees. All Illinois public universities are authorized to award two general types of tuition and fee waivers:
   1. Mandatory Waiver means a waiver that an institution is required by State statute to grant to students who meet the specific parameters and criteria included in the statute. 
   2. Discretionary Waiver means a waiver that is granted at the discretion of the institution. Discretionary waivers include the following categories: 
      1. Faculty and Staff Waiver means a discretionary waiver awarded to public university faculty, staff, or other employees, or their dependents. 
      2. Student Talent or Merit Waiver means a discretionary waiver awarded to students based on talent in a particular field, academic merit, or special status. 
      3. Student Need Waiver means a discretionary waiver granted to students demonstrating financial need. 
      4. Student Service Waiver means a discretionary waiver granted to students to support the University mission, goals, and objectives through participation in outside contracts; graduate or undergraduate research, teaching, or other assignments; training or grant programs; external internship programs; clinical portions of degree programs conducted at other institutions; or other student experiences.

1. Scope
   1. This policy applies to mandatory and discretionary tuition and/or fee waivers to students at Governors State University (GovState).
   2. Mandatory Waivers are defined by State law, which is subject to change. To the extent there is conflict between Illinois State law and this policy, State law shall control the waiver requirements.
2. Mandatory Waivers
   1. Teachers Scholarships: Special Education Grants: Required pursuant to 110 ILCS 947/65.15. Provides 250 statewide tuition and necessary fee awards to encourage current teachers and academically talented students to pursue careers in any area of special education as a public or private elementary or secondary school teacher in Illinois. Recipients are exempt from paying tuition and fees at the University for up to four years.
      1. Purpose: To provide financial incentives to pursue special education teacher training.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: As determined by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), participants must be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen; an Illinois resident; agree to take courses to prepare for the teaching of children with disabilities or children with specific learning disabilities; be an Illinois high school graduate and rank in the upper half of the graduating class, or hold a valid teaching certificate that is not in the discipline of special education; and not have received a waiver under this program in the past. Participants are required to contract with ISAC and teach special education for two years within the five-year period following graduation.
   2. Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarships: Required pursuant to 105 ILCS 5/30-16.1. A limited number of scholarships are offered to residents of Illinois whose scholastic standing enables them to enroll in ROTC programs. The scholarships exempt the holder from paying tuition or fees, with the exception of fees for book rental, service, laboratory, supply, union building, hospital and medical insurance, and any fees pledged for the payment of interest and principal on bonds for the operation and maintenance of buildings.
      1. Purpose: To encourage participation in the ROTC programs.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Residents of the State of Illinois whose scholastic standing will enable them to enroll in the ROTC programs available at universities supported by the State of Illinois are eligible. Applicants are required to take an examination each year according to rules prescribed by the presidents, or designees, of the University. Scholarships are awarded on a merit basis to those eligible recipients receiving the highest grades with evidence of leadership ability. Applicants also must submit to the institution Selective Service registration compliance documentation. Waivers shall be awarded at the University on the basis of the equivalent of 10 scholarships per class, per branch of service, each academic year.
   3. Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Scholarships and Fee Waiver: Required by 20 ILCS 505/8. DCFS annually selects 53 children, at least four of whom are children of veterans, for scholarship and fee waivers for four consecutive years at any university or college maintained by the State of Illinois. Selection is based on scholastic record, aptitude, and general interest in higher education.
      1. Purpose: To give financial assistance for college expenses to selected children under the care of the Department.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: DCFS may select 53 students under their care, at least four of whom must be children of veterans, based on criteria including but not limited to scholastic record, aptitude, and interest in higher education, and who have graduated from an accredited high school or met the criteria for high school graduation.
   4. Partial Tuition Waivers for Children of University Employees: Required by 110 ILCS 675/20-90. The University offers fifty percent (50%) tuition waivers for undergraduate education to the children of employees who have been employed by the University and/or any public university in Illinois for an aggregate of at least seven years. Participants must be under the age of 25 and qualify for admission to the University.
      1. Purpose: To grant partial tuition waivers to the children of employees to attend the University.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: The parent or guardian of the waiver recipient must have been employed by any Illinois State public university for at least seven years. Children receiving the waivers must be undergraduates, under age 25 at the commencement of the academic year in which the waiver takes effect, must qualify for admission, and can only receive a maximum of four years of partial tuition waiver benefits. The student must meet satisfactory academic progress requirements to renew this tuition waiver.
   5. Senior Citizen Courses Act: Permits senior citizens, over the age of 65, to enroll in regularly scheduled credit courses at public institutions of higher education without payment of tuition provided that space is available and the student meets minimum enrollment requirements. This does not include waiver of fees. Limited to persons whose annual income is less than the threshold amount in the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act.
      1. Purpose: To provide tuition-free credit courses for senior citizens that attend public institutions of higher education in Illinois.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Must be age 65 or older with an annual household income below the threshold amount of the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act.
   6. Illinois Veterans Grants: Required by 110 ILCS 947/40. Creates grants to pay for eligible tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate or graduate education for certain veterans and current active military personnel. Benefits are limited to use at Illinois public two- and four-year institutions, and can be used for a maximum of four academic years of full-time enrollment. This program is administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
      1. Purpose: To provide tuition and mandatory fee grants to qualified individuals, including veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, but excluding members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those whose only service has been attendance at a service academy.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Qualified individuals are those persons who were honorably discharged after serving at least one year of federal active duty or serving in federal active duty in a foreign country during a time of hostilities in that country regardless of length of service. Individuals who were honorably discharged and served in federal active duty for less than one year but were medically discharged for service-related reasons or were discharged before August 11, 1967 are also eligible. Eligible applicants must have been a resident of Illinois or a student at an Illinois public two- or four-year institution at the time of entering federal active duty service, or must have become an Illinois resident within six months of entering federal service. Eligible applicants must also have returned to Illinois within six months after leaving federal active duty service, or, if married to a person in continuing military service stationed outside Illinois, must have returned to Illinois within six months after the spouse left service or was stationed in Illinois. Applicants who do not meet the residency requirements but who, at the time of application, are a resident of Illinois and, at some point after active federal service, lived in Illinois for 15 consecutive years, are eligible as well. A person who is otherwise qualified but is still in federal active service may be eligible under this section if they can show a record of honorable service and that they have served more than one year in federal active service or that they have served less than one year in federal active service in a foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign country. Recipients must satisfy the institution's minimum grade level requirements and maintain a satisfactory student loan repayment record.
      3. Benefits: Grants awarded to qualified applicants under this statute may be applied to tuition and mandatory fees only. A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits under this statute for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is enrolled in a continuous program of study. The qualified applicant shall no longer receive a grant covering non-mandatory fees if he or she fails to enroll during an academic term, unless he or she is serving federal active duty service.
   7. Illinois National Guard Grants: Required by 110 ILCS 947/45. Members of the Illinois National Guard and Illinois Naval Militia are entitled to grants to pay for eligible tuition and certain fees for undergraduate and graduate education. Benefits are limited to use at Illinois public two- and four-year institutions, and can be used for a maximum of four academic years of full-time enrollment, except that individuals serving for over 10 years are eligible for a maximum of six academic years of full-time enrollment. This program is administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
      1. Purpose: To provide tuition and fee grants to members of the Illinois National Guard and Illinois Naval Militia.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Current members of the Illinois National Guard and Illinois Naval Militia who meet the University’s entrance requirements and have completed one full year of service are eligible. Recipients must satisfy the institution's minimum grade level requirements and maintain a satisfactory student loan repayment record.
      3. Definition of “Fees”: As used in this subsection, “Fees” that are subject to award are matriculation, graduation, activity, term, or incidental fees. Exemption shall not be granted from any other fees, including book rental, service, laboratory, supply, and union building fees, hospital and medical insurance fees, and any fees established for the operation and maintenance of buildings, the income of which is pledged to the payment of interest and principal on bonds issued by the university.
      4. Extension of Benefits: If the recipient of a grant awarded under this Section ceases to be a member of the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia while enrolled in a course of study under that grant but (i) has served in the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia for at least 5 years and (ii) has served a cumulative total of at least 6 months of active duty, then that recipient shall continue to be eligible for a grant for one year after membership in the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia ended, provided that the recipient has not already received the exemption from tuition and fees for the equivalent of 4 years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms.
      5. Termination of Benefits: Except as provided in Subparagraph (4) above, if the recipient of any grant awarded under this Statute ceases to be a member of the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia while enrolled in a course of study under that grant, the grant shall be terminated as of the date membership in the Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia ended, and the recipient shall be permitted to complete the school term in which he or she is then enrolled only upon payment of tuition and other fees allocable to the part of the term then remaining.

   8. Deceased, Disabled, and MIA/POW Veterans’ Dependents Scholarships: 

      Dependents of an "eligible veteran or serviceperson" may be awarded a MIA/POW Scholarship consisting of the equivalent of four calendar years of full-time enrollment at an Illinois public two- or four-year institution, defined as 12 or more credit hours per semester. Scholarships utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time study shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours so carried bears to full-time enrollment. The scholarship covers eligible tuition and mandatory fees. This scholarship program is administered by the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

      1. Purpose: To provide tuition and fee scholarships to dependents of eligible veterans or servicepersons.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Any person meeting the University’s entrance requirements who is a spouse, natural child, legally adopted child under the age of 18 at the time of adoption, minor child younger than 18 who is under a court-ordered guardianship for at least 2 continuous years prior to application, or any stepchild under the age of 18 at the time of marriage of an "eligible veteran or serviceperson" shall be awarded a MIA/POW scholarship consisting of the equivalent of four calendar years of full-time enrollment at an Illinois public two- or four-year institution regardless of age at the time the scholarship is sought. "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" is a veteran or serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who is on active duty or is active on a training assignment, who was an Illinois resident at the time that he/she entered active duty and has been declared to be a prisoner of war, missing in action, dead as the result of a service-connected disability, or disabled with a 100 percent disability as the result of a service-connected cause as recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Department of Defense. Veterans or service persons are considered “eligible” if they became an Illinois resident within six months of entering such service, or is a resident of Illinois at the time of application for the Scholarship and, at some point after entering such service, was a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. Recipients must satisfy the institution's minimum grade level requirements and other enrollment requirements.
      3. Termination of Benefits: If an award recipient is a spouse who has remarried, or if there is a divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and his or her spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of study, scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of the term for which the dependent is presently enrolled.
3. Discretionary Waivers
   1. Faculty/Staff Waivers: Tuition and fee waivers awarded to University faculty, staff, and other employees of the State Universities Civil Service System, and their dependents. The Board of Trustees (“BOT”), in its sole discretion, reserves the right to amend, change or terminate the benefits under this program.
      1. Purpose: To provide educational benefits to the employees of the University, their dependents, and employees of the State Universities Civil Service System. 
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Must be a member of the University faculty or an administrative and professional employee (“A&P employee”) or a status employee covered by the State Universities Civil Service System  (“Civil Service employee”) in one of these categories: 
         a.    Civil Service Staff: University Employees 
         b.    Civil Service Staff: Interinstitutional and Related Agencies  
         c.    Faculty and A&P employees 
         d.    Retired University Employees 
         e.    Children of Deceased Employees
      3. Board Regulation II outlines the University’s regulations regarding the award of tuition and fee waivers to employees. To the extent there is a conflict between this Policy and Regulation II, the terms of Regulation II shall control.
   2. Student Talent/Merit Waivers: Tuition and fee waivers awarded to students based on talent in a particular field, academic merit, or special status.
      1. Purpose: To provide financial assistance to students with academic talent or special status.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Based on academic record, other academic talent, or special status, including but not limited to: 
         1. Athletic 
         2. Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics 
         3. First-Year Students
         4. Dual Degree Program (DDP) – Honors
         5. Creative Arts
   3. Student Need Waivers: Tuition and fee waivers granted to students demonstrating financial need, special circumstances, and making satisfactory academic progress.
      1. Purpose: To provide financial assistance to students who demonstrate financial need or hardship.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Recipients must demonstrate financial need and/or be enrolled in special academic programs or other University activities, including but not limited to:
         1. Dual Degree Program (DDP) - Promise 
         2. Special Program Waivers
   4. Student Service Waivers/Assistantships (Graduate Student Assistantship Appointments: Policy 70): Tuition and fee waivers granted to students to support the University mission, goals, and objectives through participation in outside contracts; graduate or undergraduate research, teaching, or other assignments; training or grant programs; external internship programs; clinical portions of degree programs conducted at other institutions; or other student experiences.
      1. Purpose: To provide educational benefits and financial incentives to students with the goal of providing students with valuable educational experiences.
      2. Eligibility and Criteria: Recipients must be enrolled in the University or under contract and, for the educational experiences and benefits, agree to perform related services. 
         1. Teaching Assistantship 
         2. Research Assistantship 
         3. Laboratory Assistantship 
         4. Tutoring Assistantship 
         5. Graduate Assistantship
4. Waiver Procedures
   1. The application procedures, eligibility criteria, and selection processes for mandatory waivers are managed by the waiver agency. The administering office maintains the list of waiver recipients:
      1. Teacher Scholarships – Office of Financial Aid
      2. ROTC Scholarships – Veterans Resource Center
      3. DCFS Scholarships – Office of Financial Aid 
      4. Partial Tuition Waivers for Children of University Employees – Human Resources 
      5. Illinois Veterans Grant – Veterans Resource Center 
      6. Illinois National Guard Grants – Veterans Resource Center 
      7. MIA/POW Scholarships – Veterans Resource Center 
      8. Faculty/Staff Waivers – Human Resources 
      9. Student Talent/Merit Waivers – Student Affairs & Enrollment  Management 
      10. Student Need Waivers – Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
      11. Student Service Waivers/Assistantships – Academic Colleges and Graduate College
   2. For discretionary waivers, the administering unit must provide and maintain all documents involved in eligibility criteria and selection processes. During the annual budget development process, the discretionary tuition and fee waiver budget is established for the next fiscal year. 
   3. The University annually reviews data on tuition and fee waiver classifications, approvals, and allocations. 
   4. The amount of undergraduate tuition revenue that a public university may waive is limited to three percent (3%) of the total available undergraduate tuition revenue except Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics waivers, Civil Service Staff, University Employee waivers, Civil Service Staff: Interinstitutional and Related Agencies waivers, and Financial Aid waivers for Illinois resident students demonstrating financial need. 
   5. Tuition and fee waiver records are maintained as student records for five years.