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State Scholar Program
You may either scroll through this page, or click on any of the following links to go directly to a specific topic:

Program Description
Eligibility
Approved High Schools
Selection and Notification Process
Processing Updates

The State Scholar Program recognizes students attending approved high schools (typically, Illinois public high schools; see the Approved High Schools section on this page for further details) for outstanding academic achievement. State scholar designation provides honorary recognition with no monetary award. Approximately the top ten percent of graduates from approved high schools are announced as State Scholars each year.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

*(typically the end of your junior year in high school)   Approved High Schools

Students attending Illinois public high schools, who meet all eligibility requirements, will be considered for the State Scholar Program.

In addition, students who are Illinois residents attending other high schools (located in Illinois, or elsewhere) with standards of instruction that are substantially equivalent to an Illinois public high school (as determined by the State Superintendent of Education) may also be considered. If such students list Illinois as their state of residence on the ACT and/or SAT assessment tests, they will receive a letter instructing them to work with the high school to provide ISAC with the necessary information. Students who do not list Illinois as their state of residence, but believe they may qualify for this program, should contact an ISAC College Zone Counselor to discuss their situation.

Department of Defense (DOD) High Schools are an example of other schools whose Illinois resident students may be considered for the State Scholar Program, because the State Superintendent of Education has determined that the standards of instruction at DOD schools are substantially equivalent to an Illinois public high school.

Selection and Notification Process
  • There is no application to complete for the State Scholar Program; standardized test scores and performance-based academic data reported by your high school are used to determine if you are eligible
  • ISAC receives your ACT, SAT and/or Prairie State Achievement Exam scores from each test's service, provided that you indicate Illinois residency and take the exam during the required timeframe
  • Your high school counselor submits information to ISAC for the selection process
  • Your high school then receives a Certificate of Achievement for each State Scholar at that school
  • If you are named a State Scholar, you will  receive a congratulatory letter from ISAC
Processing Updates

Note that ISAC routinely updates this section as new information becomes available. Be sure to check back periodically for the current processing status.

For the 2009-10 Academic Year (last updated December 1, 2009):

During November 2009, qualified Illinois high school students were designated as 2010-11 State Scholars. Congratulatory letters from ISAC have been mailed to Scholars, and a Certificate of Achievement for each Scholar has been mailed to high schools. Typically, the Certificates are presented to Scholars during a high school honors ceremony, but they may be distributed based on the preferences of each high school.

A listing of all 2010-11 State Scholars - displayed alphabetically by high school, within each school's county - may be accessed via the "State Scholar Announcements" option that is located in the right margin of this page.

Printable version
Printable version
Scholarships
 Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program
 Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program
 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program
 Robert C. Byrd
Honors Scholarship Announcements

 Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program
 Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP)
 Merit Recognition Scholarship (MRS) Program
 State Scholar Program
 State Scholar Announcements
 Financial Aid Scams
 Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois
 General Assembly Scholarship
 MIA/POW Scholarship
 Department of Rehabilitation Services Education Benefits
 Medical Student Scholarship Program
 Allied Health Care Professional Scholarship Program
 Nursing Education Scholarship Program
 Illinois Dollars for Scholars®
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