Section 1080.300  Student Eligibility

a)         For a student to be eligible to participate in the DFI grant program, the student shall establish and the applicable institution shall verify that the student applicant meets the following criteria:

1)         he or she is an Illinois resident as defined in the Act;

2)         he or she is a citizen or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States;

3)         he or she is a member of a racial minority as defined in the Act;

4)         he or she has earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited  institution of higher education;

5)         he or she has been admitted as a student pursuing a doctoral, master's, or post-baccalaureate professional degree and will pursue this degree objective as a full-time student, as defined by the institution, for at least 9 months of the year;

6)         he or she has signed an agreement to meet the Act's employment conditions if a DFI award is accepted;

7)         his or her financial resources are such that in the absence of a DFI  grant the individual will be prevented from pursuing a graduate or professional degree at the institution; and

8)         he or she has above-average academic ability to pursue a graduate or professional degree (Section 7 of the Act), as evidenced by the following:

A)        minimum grade point average of C+ (2.75 on a grade scale of 4.00 = A) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work; and

B)        admission to a post-baccalaureate degree program at a qualified institution of higher education as defined in the Act.

b)         In order to maintain eligibility in the program and in order to be considered for subsequent DFI grants, an awardee must meet scholastic requirements and eligibility for financial assistance as required by the institution in which she or he is enrolled as a DFI participant.