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Benefits are available for use three years after the first payment due date. The plan must be paid in full prior to the use of any benefits. This may require accelerating the payment schedule or making a lump sum payment prior to enrollment if the installment period extends past the expected date of college enrollment.
The beneficiary must apply for benefits no later than 10 years from the planned date of enrollment in college. Once benefits start, a beneficiary has 10 years to use all the benefits purchased on his or her behalf. Waivers and extensions are possible, provided that applications for exceptions are made in writing.
Contracts and Semester Hours
Each semester purchased is the equivalent of 15 semester hours. Semester hours can be converted into quarter hours for those institutions operating on a quarterly schedule and trimester hours for those institutions operating on a trimester schedule.
Applications to Undergraduate and Graduate Study
The College Illinois! 529 prepaid plan is intended to cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for full- or part-time undergraduate study. While College Illinois! does not offer plans to cover graduate study, benefits may be applied to graduate study tuition and fees, but will be paid out at the undergraduate tuition rate.
Where Benefits Can Be Applied
Benefits can be applied at Illinois public universities and community colleges, at most Illinois private institutions, and at out-of-state public and private colleges and universities.
A beneficiary who enrolls in an Illinois public university or community college will receive benefits equivalent to full coverage of in-state (or in-district in the case of community colleges) tuition and mandatory fees for as many semesters as were purchased.
If the beneficiary attends a private or out-of-state public institution, then benefits paid will equal the mean-weighted average of tuition and fees charged by Illinois public universities or community colleges at the time of the beneficiary's enrollment in college.
How to Apply Benefits and Payment
When the student (beneficiary) is eligible to begin using benefits, an information package will be sent to him/her from College Illinois! instructing the student to notify the school's billing office of the intention to use College Illinois! benefits for tuition and mandatory fees. It is the student's responsibility to notify the school's financial aid office as well as the billing office about his/her intention to use College Illinois! benefits so the school can bill the program for tuition and mandatory fees on the student's behalf. Payment will be made directly to the school from Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) via the Illinois State Comptroller's Office.
If a student intends to use prepaid tuition benefits, but the school has never requested payment from College Illinois!, contact a customer service representative at 877.877.3724. The representative will provide the specific information needed to verify a student's eligibility and submit an invoice for payment.
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