The student must obtain a current year Illinois National Guard Grant Application from the SIUC Veterans Educational Services or from the unit administrator of the applicant's Illinois National Guard Unit, or it can be downloaded from CollegeZone. After completion, the application should be sent to D-3A, Illinois National Guard Grant Processing, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015-5209.

The applicant must have served for at least one year in the Illinois National Guard, must be currently active in the Illinois National Guard, and cannot be in default on any educational loan or owe a refund on a federal or state grant. The applicant must also be registered with Selective Service or be exempt from their registration requirements.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission reviews the application and notifies the student of the award. The award notice must be submitted to SIUC Veterans Educational Services before the award will be posted to the Student Account.

The amount of the award is equal to the student's charges for tuition and selected fees. Fees not covered by the Illinois National Guard award are the responsibility of the student.

Illinois National Guard Grant recipients do not receive a cash award. Appropriate charges based on the credit hours the student is enrolled in are billed to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the amount credited to the student's SIUC account. The recipient is entitled to full payment of tuition and certain fees to any state-supported Illinois institution of learning for the equivalent of 3 calendar years of full enrollment including Summer terms. (96 points)

This award can be used for both undergraduate and graduate work. If the student is also eligible for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission MAP Grant, the Illinois National Guard Grant must be used first