Illinois National Guard Grant

**Award range:** Up to full tuition and select fees.

 

ELIGIBILITY

  • Be an Illinois National Guard member, defined as meeting one of these two criteria:
    1. Be active in the Illinois National Guard or
    2. Have been active in the Illinois National Guard for at least five consecutive years, have been called to federal active duty for at least six months and be within the 12-month period immediately following the applicant’s discharge from the Illinois National Guard.*
  • Have completed one full year of service in the Illinois National Guard.
  • Be enrolled at an Illinois public two- or four-year college.
  • Not be in default on any educational loan, or, if in default, have reinstated eligibility in accordance with ISAC rules.
  • Not owe a refund on any state or federal grant.
  • Maintain an acceptable grade point average (GPA) according to the policy determined by the applicant’s college.
  • File a complete application each academic year, indicating the college to be attended.
  • Meet the applicable deadline for the term(s) for which he/she is applying.
  • Notify ISAC, in writing, of name, address or college choice changes as they occur.
  • Those individuals who have been active in the Illinois National Guard for at least five consecutive years, had their studies interrupted by being called to federal active duty for at least six months and meet eligibility requirements in addition to those listed above may be eligible to receive an additional year of Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant Program eligibility. Eligibility under these criteria is determined by the Education/Incentives Branch of the Department of Military Affairs Illinois (DMAIL) in Springfield, Illinois. Questions regarding individual eligibility status under this legislation should be directed to the applicant’s chain of command, or to the Education/Incentives Branch of DMAIL at 217.761.3782.
  • Students need to be enrolled in one or more credit hours to participate.
  • Maintain a Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above. Visit our veterans page for information regarding veterans satisfactory academic progress.
  • If a student is eligible for both an ING Grant and a Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant, the ING Grant benefits must be used first. A student cannot decline an ING Grant in favor of using MAP.
  • If a recipient ceases to be an active status member of the Illinois National Guard during a term, benefits cease, and the student is responsible for the unpaid costs attributed to the remainder of the term.
  • If an applicant becomes eligible during a term, the benefits will be prorated for that portion of the term for which the applicant is eligible, provided the application is submitted by the applicable deadline for that term. Costs are prorated on the basis of the colleges scheduled days of instruction minus the college’s scheduled holidays and examination periods.*
  • If the service obligation is not completed, the grant recipient may be required to repay some or all of the funds to the Department of Military Affairs Illinois.

 

HOW TO APPLY

  1. Complete the ING Grant Application each year, which begins with the fall term and concludes the following summer term. 
  2. Notify the veteran's coordinator to monitor your application and apply benefits to your account.

 

DETERMINING PAYMENT AND REFUNDS

  • An estimated payment will show on the student's bill following registration. ING is applied to the student's account approximately two weeks prior to the tuition deadline. 

 

SUMMER

ING is available for summer enrollment.