Grant Program for Dependents of Correctional Officers

For details regarding program funding levels for a specific academic year, see the Processing Updates section of this page.

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Program Description
Eligibility
How to Apply (and Obtaining the Application)
     Application Priority Consideration Date: October 1
     (for full-year award)
How Funds Are Disbursed
Processing Updates
Participating Schools

If you are the spouse or child of a State of Illinois Department of Corrections officer who was killed or became at least 90 percent disabled in the line of duty, you may be eligible for the Grant Program for Dependents of Correctional Officers. This grant provides assistance toward tuition and mandatory fees* for undergraduate or graduate study at ISAC-approved Illinois colleges. You may receive the equivalent of eight semesters or 12 quarters of assistance. You do not need to be an Illinois resident at the time of enrollment to receive this grant.

* Recipients attending approved public colleges in Illinois shall receive full payment of tuition and mandatory fees on their behalf. The grant will cover the difference in costs for courses taken at an out-of-district college that are not offered at a recipient's in-district college. Recipients attending approved private colleges in Illinois shall receive payment of tuition and mandatory fees in an amount not to exceed the maximum grant payable to a student enrolled in the most expensive comparable program of study at a public college in Illinois.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
• Be enrolled on at least a half-time basis at an ISAC-approved Illinois 2- or 4-year college
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as established by your college
• Not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund on any state or federal grant
• Be the spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or any child in the legal custody of the correctional officer at the time of death or disability
• Allow sufficient mailing time to make sure ISAC receives your complete application on or before the deadline date, based on the first term for which you wish to receive funds each academic year. For 2011-12:
  • October 1, 2011 - Full Year Consideration
  • March 1, 2012 - Only 2nd Semester (2nd/3rd Quarter) and Summer Consideration
  • June 15, 2012 - Only Summer Term Consideration

How to Apply

An application for this grant is available at College Zone and your college's financial aid office.

It is the applicant's responsibility to fax the application, or allow sufficient mailing time in order for complete applications to be received at ISAC on or before the applicable deadline date. In order to receive full-year consideration your application must be received on or before October 1 of the academic year for which you're requesting assistance. For spring- and summer-term consideration, the deadline date is March 1. For summer-term consideration only, applications must be received on or before June 15. Applications received by ISAC after these deadline dates will be processed only for subsequent terms, with June 15 as the final date of acceptance for the summer term.

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. Dependent upon the funding level of the State of Illinois' General Revenue Fund (GRF), it may take 105 business days or more after the date that ISAC processes the payment request before funds are received at the college from the State Comptroller's Office.

Depending on the college, students may be responsible for payment until program funds are received. Qualified applicants who are awaiting receipt of funds from this program should contact the Financial Aid Office or Business Office to determine the college's policy.

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 May 6, 2011):

The application for the 2011-12 Grant Program for Dependents of Police, Fire, or Correctional Officers is available to download and print from this website. Use the 2011-12 application to apply for the fall 2011, spring 2012, and summer 2012 terms. Complete applications received by ISAC after the deadline dates (see How to Apply, above) will be processed only for subsequent terms, with June 15, 2012 as the final date of acceptance for the summer term.

Applicants must reapply each academic year. Complete and timely applications are processed in the order they are received.

After June 30, 2011, allow at least four weeks for the processing of the application. Beginning in July of 2011, qualified applicants will be sent a Notice of Eligibility letter from ISAC. In the event funds are insufficient to make awards to all timely qualified applicants, ISAC will make award determinations on the basis of the dates that the completed applications were received, and award amounts may be prorated. Qualified applicants will be notified by their college of the award amount.
  
Individuals who do not meet the criteria to be a qualified applicant will receive a Notice of Ineligibility.

If an application is incomplete, a Notice of Incomplete Application will be sent to the applicant to request the missing information. Processing cannot take place prior to the date a complete application is received in ISAC's Deerfield office.

For the 2010-11 Academic Year
(last updated on June 16, 2011):

ISAC is no longer accepting the application for the 2010-11 Grant Program for Dependents of Police, Fire, or Correctional Officers.

We anticipate sending all Notices of Eligibility to qualified applicants by the end of June.

Individuals whose applications were received by the June 15 summer term deadline, but do not meet the criteria to be a qualified applicant, will receive a Notice of Ineligibility.

Click here to print the Grant Program for Dependents of Correctional Officers application.

To view a listing of Illinois colleges approved to participate in this program, click on the link for the appropriate academic year:

2011-12