Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Program

Program News

(last updated May 11, 2026)

2025-26 Program Status
2024-25 Reconciliation – Due to ISAC Notifications
Enrollment Status Verification 

2025-26

Program Status

Because the 2026 fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) budget for the State of Illinois does not include an appropriation for the Illinois Graduate and Retain our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Program, no applications will be accepted and no awards will be made during the 2025-26 academic year.

This page will be updated if funds for the program are appropriated in a future fiscal year.

2024-25

Reconciliation – Due to ISAC Notifications

Notifications detailing the outstanding amount that must be refunded to ISAC for 2024-25 iGROW Tech Scholarships were emailed to financial aid directors in early August. Review the information in the notification and return the appropriate amount – along with a completed Gift Assistance Programs Refund Check Form – no later than September 30, 2025.

If additional information needs to be provided to ISAC by the college, a Gift Assistance Programs Refund Check Explanation Form (Excel spreadsheet) may be completed and included with the Refund Check Form.

Details about returning funds to ISAC and the payment offset and reconciliation process are provided in the Refunds and Unpaid Claims section of the Processes area.

Enrollment Status Verification

NOTE: For the first time, ISAC is now requesting enrollment status verification data for the iGROW Scholarship Program.

Verification of award recipients' current enrollment status data is to be completed by the college and returned to ISAC as soon as possible. In order to be considered timely, all 2024-25 data must have been submitted on or before Thursday, May 7, 2026. Further details were provided in an April 8 e-Message.

Colleges are required to verify the enrollment statuses for recipients in programs with work requirements. Verification of enrollment status is required for all recipients who, according to our records, previously received funds from certain ISAC-administered programs and may have been enrolled at your institution during the prior academic year.

ISAC monitors recipients’ fulfillment of the program requirements because, if recipients fail to meet the applicable requirements, their awards convert to loans that must be repaid. Knowing recipients’ enrollment status, as reported by the colleges, allows ISAC to communicate with recipients who have graduated (or otherwise stopped attending college) regarding the steps they need to take in order to fulfill their program requirements. The sooner colleges submit enrollment verification data to ISAC, the sooner ISAC can communicate with impacted award recipients.

Refer to the Enrollment Status Verification page and the Enrollment Status Verification User Guide for step-by-step instructions on completing and submitting enrollment status verification data to ISAC. Details about requirements, extensions, deferments and repayment are provided in the Students & Parents – After College area of this website, and may be accessed via the "Program Requirements" link that appears in the right-margin menu of this page.