Under IVG guidelines, veterans can take up to 120 units, which is equivalent to four years of full-time classes. Depending on how many units you have earned before obtaining an IVG, you can earn up to a master’s degree. The IVG program is administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Information about this program is also available on the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affair website "Benefits" page.
To qualify for the IVG, an active duty member or veteran must have served at least one year of active duty in the United States Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard and received an honorable discharge. The IVG includes all service members in the Illinois National Guard and all the U.S. military reserve components. Students in the Reserve Officer Training Corps are not eligible for the IVG. Also qualified for the IVG are veterans who were on active duty in a foreign country during hostilities, regardless of their length of service.
Medically discharged service members who have service-related reasons for their discharge or members who were discharged prior to August 11, 1967, qualify as well.
To be eligible for the IVG, you must prove you were or are an Illinois resident. You must have lived in Illinois six months prior to entering the military and returned to Illinois within six months of discharge, unless you were still on active duty at the time of enrollment. If you were a student at an Illinois public college at the time of entry into the service, you are also considered an Illinois resident. Additionally, if you establish Illinois residency within six months after your spouse was separated from the military, you are eligible for the IVG.
When your home of record on your discharge documentation or the mailing address on your separation paperwork is not in Illinois, additional paperwork is necessary to determine proof of residency.
Veterans are not eligible for the IVG if you owe a refund on a federal or state grant. You must also meet Selective Service registration requirements or prove you are exempt. Veterans in default on federal student loans will be allowed only one term of assistance. If you prove that you are paying back the defaulted loan, you can continue receiving funding from the IVG program.