Illinois Rise Act application NOW available for undocumented students
The RISE (Retaining Illinois Students and Equity) Act was signed into law at UIC on June 21, 2019 and allows state and institutional financial aid eligibility to a subset of students who were previously ineligible. The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid provides a pathway for students to apply for the MAP Grant and institutional funding at UIC.
Students impacted by the RISE Act include:
- Undocumented students who are Illinois residents
- Transgender students who do not complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) due to the requirement to report their gender “at birth”
UIC also will award up to $1850 in the UIC Opportunity Grant to currently enrolled, newly eligible students during the Spring 2020 semester. We will use the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 application information to determine eligibility for Spring 2020. Please see Opportunity Grant for more information on this program.
Your application must be on file with ISAC by our February 15, 2020 priority deadline for consideration for Spring 2020 institutional aid.
We anticipate receiving application information from ISAC in late February/early March of 2020. We will contact all students eligible for Spring 2020 UIC Opportunity Grant funding at that time.
If you are unable to submit your application, please contact the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) for more information.