How to Apply for a State Scholarship
Who is eligible to receive a scholarship?
Students from families with limited financial resources are eligible to receive a tax credit scholarship. To be considered for a scholarship, students must be from a household with income below 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($79,500 for family of four).
Priority will be given to:
- Students from households that are below 185 percent of the federal poverty level
($49,025 for family of four). - Students who reside in a focus district
- Siblings of scholarship students.
Scholarships are available for eligible students through grades KG – 12th grade and if awarded will be applied to the student’s tuition fees. Beginning in 2023, priority will be given to renewals of previous year scholarship recipients.
In addition, the student: Must be eligible to attend a public elementary school or high school in Illinois in the semester immediately preceding the semester for which he or she first receives a scholarship.
Eligibility Requirements
Please click here for more information.
What do students/families need for the application?
There is a 2-step process for the tax credit scholarship program.
- Reservation – Contact info, all student names. Only one reservation is required
per family. - Application – 6 step process, detailed parent, student, and household information,
and various documents.
After submitting the reservation with the name(s) of your child(ren), you will receive a confirmation code. Within 48 hours you will receive an email link to your unique application where you will complete it and upload all required documents. Please note that only one reservation and application are allowed per family even if you are applying for several students.
You will have 3 days to complete your application once your link has been sent. Please keep the following documents readily available as they will need to be uploaded into your application.
Adjusted Gross income – Choose a year and submit all household and income documents. Do not mix household information between 2020 and 2021.
- Federal Tax Return (2022 or 2023)
- W-2 (2022 or 2023)
- 1099/s (2022 or 2023 if applicable)
- Year-end pay stub (2022 or 2023)
- Letter, on Letterhead from employer(s) indicating cash wages paid (2022 or
2023 if applicable) - Proof of Illinois residency (e.g., Driver’s License, State ID, Utility bill)
- Enrollment or acceptance letter from IFS for the 2023-24 year – This document is optional at the time of the application but will be required prior to the student receiving scholarship dollars.
Note: There may be changes to this list as the application process is finalized by the SGOs. We will provide updates as they are available.
When can students apply for a tax credit scholarship?
Students scholarship Reservation process for the 2023-24 school year is open now through October. A final deadline date for October has not yet been set for the Reservation. Families should apply as early as possible since scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. This program will continue for at least another two years (based on the current law).
How do student/families apply for the Illinois tax scholarship program?
The application process with Empower Illinois will be completed online at www.empowerillinois.org. For steps on how to complete the application, click here.
How much money can students receive through a tax credit scholarship?
Scholarship amounts will vary based on the student’s household income and be limited to the lower of actual tuition and fees for the student’s school, or the statewide average expense per student among Illinois public schools (currently $12,288). The cap is $14,746.95, but students receive awards based on the tuition cost of the school they are applying for. Students from households that are lower than 185 percent of the federal poverty level receive 100 percent of tuition and eligible fees. Students from households that are 185 percent to 250 percent of the federal poverty level will receive 75 percent of tuition and eligible fees through the scholarships. Students from households that are 250 percent to 300 percent of the federal poverty level will receive 50 percent of tuition and eligible fees through the scholarship.
When will students/families be notified if they have been granted a scholarship?
Empower Illinois will be responsible for notifying families. The law presently requires this SGO to process applications the last week of January. If a family is in category one, they will be prioritized and awarded before April 1st.
Before April 1st, students who meet one of the following criteria will be considered
Category 1:
- Members of a household whose previous year’s total annual income does not
exceed 185% of the federal poverty level - Reside within a focus district
- Received a scholarship from a SGO during the previous school year
- Siblings of students currently receiving a scholarship.
After April 1st, categories will not be considered and will be processed by the time stamp. Awards will continue to be processed up until December as fund become available.
The law does not impose an application processing deadline for applications received after April 1st. However, we would anticipate that the processing timelines will be similar for all applications.
How is a scholarship payment made?
Empower Illinois will manage the scholarship payments. The law presently requires distribution scholarship payments directly to the qualified school where the student is enrolled. Funds are received twice during the year pending verification of the student’s currently enrollment.
Do students need to be accepted to a school before they can apply for a scholarship?
No. they have the option to choose up to 3 schools to put on their list. However, we recommend parents/guardians to apply to the school first and confirm the student’s enrollment for the 2023-24 school year.
