Section 2769.20  Applicant Eligibility

a)         A qualified undergraduate applicant shall:

1)         be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;

2)         be a resident of Illinois;

3)         be an undergraduate student at the junior or senior level;

4)         be a full-time student enrolled in a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education leading to a bachelor's degree in social work, or enrolled in an accredited human services degree program;

5)         have declared an intent to work in child welfare at DCFS or a contracting agency for at least the number of years for which a forgivable loan is received;

6)         have maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent; and

7)         if a renewal applicant, have earned at least 12 semester credits per term, or the equivalent.

b)         A qualified graduate applicant shall:

1)         be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;

2)         be a resident of Illinois;

3)         be a graduate student;

4)         be a full-time student enrolled in a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education leading to a master's degree in social work, or enrolled in an accredited human services degree program;

5)         have declared an intent to work in child welfare at DCFS or a contracting agency for at least the number of years for which a forgivable loan is received;

6)         have earned a bachelor's degree from a school or department of social work at any college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or have earned a degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university;

7)         have maintained a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the undergraduate level, or have attained a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least 1,000;

8)         if a renewal applicant, have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the graduate level and have earned at least nine semester credits per term, or the equivalent; and

9)         have not received a forgivable loan under this Part at the undergraduate level.