Fall 2025 Academic and Financial Criteria
- Is a resident of the state of Illinois and attended an Illinois high school
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen or meet the “undocumented student” criteria of the RISE Act
- Is enrolled for the first time at Illinois State University
- Is a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program
- Have not yet received a bachelor’s degree (the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours)
- Not be incarcerated
- Not be in default on any student loan, nor owe a refund on any state or federal grant
-
Priority is given to students with a grade point average of 4.0 or higher
- Has filed a 2025-26 FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (preference will be given to those who file the FAFSA or RISE Act/Alternative Application by February 1, 2025) and demonstrated need with household income no greater than eight times the poverty guidelines as outlined in the chart below. 2023 income is used to determine 2025-2026 eligibility
Income Poverty Guidelines
Persons in Family/Household: 1
Maximum Income: $116,640
Persons in Family/Household: 2
Maximum Income: $157,760
Persons in Family/Household: 3
Maximum Income: $198,880
Persons in Family/Household: 4
Maximum Income: $240,000
Persons in Family/Household: 5
Maximum Income: $281,120
Persons in Family/Household: 6
Maximum Income: $322,240
Persons in Family/Household: 7
Maximum Income: $363,360
Persons in Family/Household: 8
Maximum Income: $404,480
Persons in Family/Household: Every additional
Maximum Income: $41,120
These awards are renewable and available for up to four years (eight consecutive fall and spring semesters) of full-time enrollment provided the student maintains a cumulative 2.75 grade point average (GPA) and meets Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.
Funds are limited and subject to continued state allocations. Each school must provide new financial aid funding to match a portion of the AIM HIGH funding provided by the State of Illinois. Illinois State University will match the state funding with the Redbird Scholarship, and Jesse W. Fell Scholarship Programs. This match is not done on an individual student level so not every AIM HIGH Grant recipient will receive matching institutional funds.