During his annual State of the University Address, President Larry Dietz announced new scholarships that will help to make Illinois State University even more affordable and attractive for prospective students.
In association with Illinois’ AIM High scholarship initiative, Illinois State is adding an additional $4 million to assist students through the Redbird Scholarship program. Beginning with this fall’s application process, all students with a high school grade point average of at least 3.0 and an ACT of 25 or SAT of 1210, will automatically qualify for a Redbird Scholarship of at least $1,000 and as much as $4,000 per academic year.
Approximately 1,000 McLean County students attend Illinois State each year. The McLean County Full Tuition Scholarship is part of a commitment to increase that number. Each year, five McLean County students will be awarded up to four years of free tuition based on the student’s leadership, community service, and civic engagement activities in the county. Each of the tuition waivers carries a present-day value of $50,000. In addition, every McLean County student who applies for the competition will automatically receive a one-time $500 scholarship to Illinois State just for participating.
Beginning with the application process for students entering in fall 2019, undergraduate students who have a parent or grandparent who graduated from Illinois State will receive a $500 scholarship each year for up to four years through the new Alumni Legacy Scholarship. “Our alumni proudly invest in Illinois State University, and we want to do even more to re-invest in their loved ones,” said Dietz.
Illinois State remains an affordable investment in education, with a tuition, fee, and room and board package in the lower half of Illinois colleges and universities. The University distributed $45 million in need-and merit-based aid last year to make attendance more affordable for students with financial need. Dietz noted that the University’s long-standing commitment to helping students pay for their education is simply the right thing to do.
“For many years, Illinois State has been fully invested in our students with the greatest financial need, and we will continue to provide nearly $13 million in ISU Access Grants annually to serve students from families with the lowest income levels,” said Dietz. “Combined with MAP and Pell grants, these students generally pay little or nothing in tuition and fee dollars. In fact, the combination even covers a portion of the student’s housing charges.”
