Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship, an applicant must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen or meet the criteria of the RISE Act
  • be a resident of Illinois
  • be a high school graduate or have received a State of Illinois High School Diploma
  • have been enrolled in a public school district in Illinois, at any point in kindergarten through grade 12:
    • that had an average of at least 70% of students who were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunch; and
    • that had a 3-year average teacher vacancy rate at or above the statewide average, excluding public school districts that had zero vacancies or in which the number of teacher vacancies in the district was at or above the statewide average number of teacher vacancies, excluding public school districts that had zero vacancies
  • be enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualified Illinois institution of higher education, and;
    • be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study, which upon completion, qualifies you as a licensed preschool, elementary, or secondary school teacher; or
    • if you are already licensed to teach, be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a master’s degree in an academic field in which you are teaching or plan to teach; or
    • if you are not yet enrolled in an educator preparation program, have received one ore more College and Career Pathway Endorsements and commit to enrolling in a course of study leading to teacher licensure, including alternative teacher licensure, to be a preschool, elementary or secondary school teacher
  • have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
  • maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by your college
  • have submitted a complete and timely application
  • complete the application process by:
    • submitting a fully completed Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program application, which includes the three elements of the application:
      • Application;
      • Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note; and
      • the Free Application for Federal Students Aid (FAFSA®) or (if applicable) Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid
    • In order to receive priority consideration for an award, both complete applications must be received on or before the priority consideration date of February 16, 2026.
  • be certified as meeting eligibility requirements by the college at which you will use the scholarship; and
  • accepting the scholarship (if one is offered)
  • sign the application’s Teaching Agreement / Promissory Note promising to fulfill the teaching commitment or repay funds received plus interest
    • the teaching commitment must be fulfilled at an Illinois school district
      • that has a 3-year average teacher vacancy rate above the state average; or
      • where the number of teacher vacancies in the district over the past three years is higher than that of the state
  • not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund on any state or federal grant. If you are in default, you may re-establish your eligibility
  • not have previously received funds from the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program for the equivalent of four academic years, which is the programs maximum
  • not receive funds from the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program or the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program during the same term(s) for which you receive funds from the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program. Although recipients of Teachers of Illinois awards are not eligible to receive tuition assistance through the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program for the same term(s), qualified students may be eligible to participate in other scholarship programs through the Golden Apple Foundation.

Qualified applicants may receive Teachers of Illinois Scholarship funds only up to the amount by which their cost of attendance exceeds the amount of their Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant, if applicable.