Illinois Veterans' Grant

The Illinois Veterans' Grant (IVG) Program pays tuition and mandatory fees at all Illinois state-supported colleges, universities and community colleges for eligible Illinois veterans. An individual must: 

• Be an honorably discharged veteran;
  • an honorable discharge may include a discharge under other than honorable conditions or a general discharge under honorable conditions if only due to a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, but does not include a bad conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge for the most recent period of federal active duty service, and/or be honorably serving.
• Reside in Illinois six months before entering the service; or a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years after leaving active duty as of the date of application; and
• Have at least one full year of active duty in the U.S. Armed
  Forces. This includes veterans who were assigned to
  active duty in a foreign country in a time of hostilities in that country,
  regardless of length of service;
• Return to Illinois within six months of discharge from the service;
• Applications must be received by ISAC in time for eligibility to be determined and the applicant to then notify the college about their eligibility no later than the last scheduled day of classes for the first term for which benefits have been requested; and
• Need to only submit one application to establish eligibility.

Applications and additional information are available from the VSO Offices of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, college financial aid offices or the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, 60015, telephone 847-948-8550 or 800-899-ISAC, www.isac.org.