Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship 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
Qualifying High Schools
Selection and Notification Process
How Funds Are Disbursed
Processing Updates
Renewal Requirements
Details
Participating Illinois Colleges

If you earn exceptional grades in high school and show promise of continuing academic excellence, you may be eligible for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program. The award is up to $1,500 per year, for a maximum of four years.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
• Be an Illinois resident
• Graduate from a qualifying high school or a homeschool during the same academic year in which eligibility is determined, and demonstrate outstanding academic achievement as measured by test scores and high school records; or receive a General Educational Development (GED) test score recognized by the General Educational Development Testing Service as the equivalent to performing in the top five percent of high school graduates in the United States
• Be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment on a full-time basis, as an undergraduate student at a U.S. Department of Education-approved college in the United States (this program may not be used for attendance at Military Service Academies)

Qualifying High Schools

Students attending Illinois public or private high schools or homeschool, who meet all eligibility requirements, will be considered for the Byrd Honors Scholarship 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 Call Center Representative 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 Byrd Honors Scholarship 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 student application to complete for the Byrd Honors Scholarship Program - you're automatically considered for this scholarship if you meet the eligibility requirements mentioned above, indicate Illinois residency on your ACT or SAT test and your high school counselor or homeschool teacher submits information to ISAC for the selection process. If there is a discrepancy on your record, ISAC will send you a letter requesting that you work with your high school to provide the missing information.

Scholarships will be awarded first to renewing applicants. ISAC shall select new recipients from among the highest-scoring, qualified applicants on the basis of the following criteria:

• performance-based academic data reported by the high school at the end of the third semester prior to graduation*;
• ACT, SAT, or Prairie State Achievement Exam scores reported by the end of the third semester before high school graduation*; and
• Illinois georgraphic district.**

If named a Byrd Honors Scholar, you are entitled to receive the scholarship for four years if you continue to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the program. In order to remain eligible to receive this scholarship renewal scholars must also complete and return the Eligibility Certification form, which they receive from ISAC, no later than July 15th prior to the beginning of each academic year.

The scholarship will be paid on your behalf directly to your U.S. Department of Education-approved college in the United States (this program may not be used for attendance at Military Service Academies). The financial aid office may choose to receive payment in either one or two installments for all recipients at the school.

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

** New recipients are selected from each of the 15 geographic districts, and on an at-large basis, as indicated in the Illinois Geographic Districts for Byrd Honors Scholarship document. The at-large category gives first priority to students who have not been selected as Byrd Honors Scholars within their geographic districts but rank first in their class and have perfect GPAs and standardized test scores. If at-large awards remain after all students meeting the “first priority” criteria have been awarded, then any remaining qualified applicants statewide will be considered, regardless of their geographic district. If the number of students meeting “first priority” criteria is greater than the number of scholarships available in the at-large category, then a lottery will be used to determine recipients.

How Funds Are Disbursed

ISAC works with the college to disburse funds for this program. The college certifies student eligibility and then submits a payment request on behalf of the student. It may take up to 10 business days after the date that ISAC processes the payment request before funds are received at the college from the State Comptroller's Office. 

Byrd recipients who meet enrollment requirements for fall and spring semesters (or fall, winter and spring quarters) may receive up to $1,500 per academic year. Funds from this program may be received only for terms in which the recipient meets enrollment requirements (up to $750 per semester or $500 per quarter).

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 2011-12 Academic Year
(last updated on August 25, 2011):

The number of scholarships made through this program, as well as the individual dollar amount awarded, are subject to sufficient annual appropriations by the federal government. Federal funding for new scholarships was not appropriated for the 2011-12 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program. It is anticipated that the 2011-12 academic year will be the last year that funding is available for renewal scholarships through ISAC.

Due to limited funding the maximum annual award for the 2011-12 academic year is $1,020.00 for Illinois renewal scholarship recipients. ISAC sent eligibility letters, the Eligibility Certification forms and Information and Student Responsibilities documents to qualified renewal scholars on July 21, 2011. Completed Eligibility Certification forms were due back to ISAC by August 8, 2011.

During the week of August 22, ISAC sent Notices of Disqualification to renewal scholars who were identified in July as meeting eligibility requirements for this program, but have not submitted the Eligibility Certification form. The notices inform students that, if they wish to receive an award, ISAC must receive a letter of appeal and the completed form on or before October 17, 2011. If an Eligibility Certification form is not returned by the October 17 deadline, it will be assumed that the student is refusing the scholarship and eligibility will be forfeited.

Renewal Requirements

Funds are given first to renewal applicants. You may be eligible to renew if your college can verify that you meet the following requirements:

• Maintain enrollment as a full-time student***
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by your school
• Are not in default on any student loan(s), and do not owe a refund on any state or federal grant(s)
• Do not receive federal aid in excess of your cost of attendance as determined by your school

*** See the Information and Student Responsibilities form for information regarding exceptions to the full-time enrollment requirement. 

Details

• This scholarship is not limited to tuition and fees
• Awarding of the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is subject to federal funding

To view a listing of Illinois colleges approved to participate in this program, click on the following link for the appropriate academic year. In addition to the Illinois colleges listed, recipients of the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program may also use their award at any U.S. Department of Education-approved postsecondary institution in the United States. Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship recipients who are attending a college outside of Illinois should check with their financial aid office to make sure funds from this scholarship can be used to help pay their educational expenses. This program may not be used for attendance at Military Service Academies.

2011-12