Scholarships for Children of Veterans in Illinois
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission oversees numerous financial aid programs designed to help students manage the cost of higher education. With the assistance of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, the commission offers a special scholarship program for children of veterans. This program provides full tuition assistance for up to four years and is known as both the POW/MIA Scholarship and the Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver.
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Veteran Eligibility
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To qualify for the Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver, students must be a biological, step or legally-adopted child of a veteran who was permanently disabled, killed in action, was declared missing or a prisoner of war. Only soldiers involved in World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, the Southwest Asia Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom qualify. In addition, the veteran must have been an Illinois resident during the six months prior to the time they joined the military.
Student Eligibility
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Student applicants must meet specific eligibly criteria to qualify for an Illinois Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver. Only Illinois residents are eligible for the award and must apply at an office of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs in their own county of residence. The scholarship is only usable at the University of Illinois, but students can attend classes at the Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, Health Sciences Center or Springfield Campuses. Students must take the ACT college placement test examination and receive a score within the minimum range acceptable for admission to the branch to which they plan to attend.
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Application
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Students who are eligible for the Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver must complete an application, which is obtainable both from the websites and offices of the University of Illinois and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The application requests basic information about student's personal contact information, as well as about their veteran parent. With their applications, students must submit proof of their ACT scores, as well as military records to verify their eligibility.
Selection and Other Features
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Illinois grants six Children of Veterans Tuition Waivers per county, per year with one award given for each of the six eligible conflicts for veterans. To determine the recipient when more than one applicant exists per category, the state grants awards first to students with deceased veteran parents. Then, ACT scores are used to determine the recipients. Students who have a mental or other disability that prevent them from attending college can apply for the waiver and use the funds for rehabilitative care or job training.
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