Illinois DCFS Scholarship 2025

Scholarship benefits:

• Monthly grant in the amount of $1577 (subject to change). Scholarship recipients must maintain full time enrollment status and a 2.0 term GPA to remain eligible for the monthly grant payment.
• One-time start-up grant in the amount of $236 to assist with their initial college living expenses. 
• Illinois Medical card
• For all scholarship recipients, regardless of whether they attend an Illinois community college or university or a private or out-of-state college or university, DCFS may pay for required textbooks and supplies for scholarship recipients who do not have sufficient resources to purchase the required items.
• Only scholarship recipients who attend any community college, university or college maintained by the State of Illinois shall also receive a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees directly from the Illinois public university or community college. Please note that the Illinois university or college will waive the tuition and mandatory fees for the scholarship recipient. The DCFS Scholarship does not pay for the tuition and mandatory fees. For a list of public community colleges or universities in Illinois please visit www.ibhe.org/institutions.asp#1 and http://www2.iccb.org/students/your-collegeplan/finding-a-college/illinois-community-colleges/. 

Scholarship recipients who attend private Illinois or out-of-state colleges/universities do not receive tuition and fee waivers from those schools.

Each year the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) shall select a minimum of 53 students, at least 4 of whom shall be children of veterans, to receive scholarships and fee waivers which will enable them to attend and complete their post-secondary education. Scholarships shall be available to students for at least 5 years, provided they are continuing to work toward graduation. Scholarship recipients are selected based on their scholastic record, community and extracurricular activities, and general interest in higher education.

Questions concerning the Department of Children and Family Services Scholarship Program may be directed to [email protected].

To apply for the DCFS Scholarship:

1.  Applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements:
2. Earned a high school diploma from an accredited institution, or 
3. Earned a General Education Development (GED) certificate/diploma or 
4. Met the state criteria for high school graduation before the start of the school year for which they are applying for the scholarship.
5. In addition, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
6. The Illinois DCFS has court-ordered legal responsibility for the applicant, or
7. The applicant aged out of Illinois DCFS' care at age 18 or older, or
8. The applicant was under Illinois DCFS legally responsibility immediately before achieving their permanency goal through adoption or private guardianship.