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The number of scholarships made through this program, as well as the individual dollar amount awarded, are subject to sufficient annual appropriations by the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor.
Teachers or academically talented students who are pursuing a career in special education as public, private or parochial preschool, elementary or secondary school teachers in Illinois may be eligible for the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program. This program will exempt such individuals from paying tuition and mandatory fees at an eligible institution, for up to four calendar years.
Recipients of this scholarship must teach in Illinois in the field of special education. If this teaching commitment is not fulfilled, the scholarship converts to a loan, and the recipient must repay the entire amount plus interest.
Eligibility
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
- Be an Illinois resident
- Be an Illinois high school graduate (or student scheduled to graduate from an Illinois high school by the end of the school term in which the award is made) and perform in the upper half of the graduating class according to performance-based academic data provided by the high school; or hold a valid teaching certificate that is not in the discipline of special education
- Be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, at one of the eligible public 4-year institutions in Illinois (providing the institution offers a concentration in special education) as an undergraduate or graduate student seeking initial certification in any area of special education
- Not at any time have received cumulative Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver benefits that equal or exceed the program maximum of four academic years.
In addition to eligibility requirements, applicants should also be aware of the rights and responsibilities for program recipients.
How to Apply
To apply, an Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Application must be obtained by clicking here; or by requesting it from ISAC, eligible institutions or offices of Regional Superintendents of Education in Illinois, or state legislative offices. Submit a complete application to ISAC's Deerfield office postmarked on or before March 1 immediately preceding the initial academic year for which the tuition waiver is requested, in order to receive priority consideration. Applications postmarked after that date will be given consideration for the award if, after the initial round of awarding, all 250 available tuition waivers have not been awarded. Once eligible for the program, applicants do not need to reapply for consideration for additional years. Those who are eligible for the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver will receive a notice of eligibility by July 1.
When a new Illinois SETTW recipient is named, the college must provide ISAC with verification of the student's enrollment and program eligibility. The college is also asked to verify the recipient's enrollment and continued eligibility status for each academic year that the tuition waiver is renewed.
Click here to download the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program application.
Eligible Public 4-year Institutions in Illinois
(providing the institution offers a concentration in special education)
001694 Chicago State University
001674 Eastern Illinois University
009145 Governors State University
001692 Illinois State University
001693 Northeastern Illinois University
001737 Northern Illinois University
001758 Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
001759 Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville
001776 University of Illinois – Chicago
009333 University of Illinois – Springfield
001775 University of Illinois – Urbana
001780 Western Illinois University
ISAC offers three programs designed specifically for individuals studying to become teachers: the Illinois SETTW Program, the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program, and the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program. An overview of these programs is provided in the Financing Teacher Education brochure and its accompanying comparison chart.
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