Section 2755.30  Program Procedures

a)         Applicant data for a Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship must be received in ISAC's Deerfield office on or before March 1 preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is being requested.

b)         Information on applying for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is available for distribution to students at approved high schools in Illinois, ISAC's web site and ISAC's Springfield, Deerfield and Chicago offices.

c)         If the applicant data are incomplete, notification shall be sent to the applicant.  The applicant will then have an opportunity to furnish the missing information; however, the applicant will only be considered as of the date when the data are complete and received in ISAC's Deerfield office.

d)         Each year new and renewal Byrd applicants are to certify to ISAC that they meet eligibility requirements.

e)         Recipients must be enrolled on a full-time basis unless granted a postponement, waiver or interruption.

f)         A new recipient may postpone his or her initial enrollment for a maximum of 12 months.

g)         After the first year of full-time study, the recipient may request a waiver of the full-time enrollment requirement due to unusual circumstances for a maximum of 12 months.

1)         The request is to be submitted in writing to ISAC and any documentation must also be submitted.

2)         The circumstances under which an exception to the full-time enrollment requirement may be granted include:

A)        the recipient's employment hours will not permit full-time enrollment;

B)        the recipient has medical problems that will not permit full-time enrollment, as established by the sworn statement of a licensed physician;

C)        the recipient is in his or her last semester of school and full-time enrollment is not required to complete the degree; or

D)        the care of an immediate family member due to illness or incapacitation will not permit full-time enrollment.

3)         In order to receive a waiver of the full-time enrollment requirement, the recipient must be enrolled at least half-time.

h)         If the full-time enrollment requirement is waived, the Byrd award is prorated according to the number of hours the recipient is enrolled.

i)          After the first year of study, a recipient may interrupt his or her enrollment at an institution for a maximum of 12 continuous months.

1)         The request is to be submitted in writing to ISAC and any documentation must also be submitted.

2)         The circumstances under which an interruption may be granted include:

A)        the recipient's participation in a cooperative education or study abroad program;

B)        the recipient is experiencing financial difficulties that will not permit continuous enrollment;

C)        the recipient has medical problems that will not permit continuous enrollment; or

D)        the recipient has family responsibilities that will not permit continuous enrollment.

j)          The scholar is not eligible to receive scholarship funds during the periods of postponement or interruption.  The funds that would have been awarded to the scholar during that time period can be awarded to the scholar during a subsequent period of enrollment at an institution as an undergraduate student.

k)         A recipient who is subsequently determined to be ineligible shall repay ISAC the total amount of the funds received for the period during which he or she was ineligible.

l)          ISAC shall select new recipients from among the timely applicants by choosing the highest scoring qualified applicants on the basis of the following criteria:

1)         Academic Data.  A qualified applicant's score shall be computed as follows:

[number in class ÷ (rank)² x .05]

+ [(grade point average ÷ scale) x 100]

+ (Illinois Standard Test Score x 10) = score

A)        Rank in class, class size and non-weighted grade point average (GPA) shall be reported as of the end of the third semester prior to graduation from high school or its equivalent.  An institution shall use the same class size and non-weighted GPA scale in reporting all of its applicants.

B)        SAT I or ACT tests, which must be taken during the time frame identified for State Scholar eligibility (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2760.20(b)), shall be converted to the Illinois Standard Test Score as described in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2760.30(b).

C)        If more than one composite score is submitted, the highest score is used.

D)        For applicants qualifying by virtue of their GED scores (see Section 2755.20(a)(4)), class rank shall be set at 5 out of 100 (top 5%) and average GED percentile rank shall be used in lieu of grade point average ÷ scale.

E)        For high schools that cannot provide class ranks, non-weighted grade point averages (GPA) as of the third semester prior to graduation must be provided.  Class ranks are calculated the same as for the State Scholar Program (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2760.30(a)(1)).

2)         Geographic District.  New Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships will be allocated within geographic districts in accordance with Appendix A.  An applicant's county of residence shall be determined by his or her permanent home address.

m)        Scholarships will be awarded first to renewing applicants.

n)         Scholarship funds are applicable towards an academic year of study.

o)         New recipients are selected from each of the 15 geographic districts, and on an at-large basis, in accordance with the number of awards set forth in Appendix A.  A student who has not been selected to be a scholar within his or her geographic district but who ranks first in his or her class and has a perfect GPA and standardized test score will be given first priority for a scholarship through the at-large category.  Any remaining awards in the at-large category will then be made to qualified applicants chosen from among the highest scoring non-selected qualified applicants statewide, regardless of their geographic district. A lottery will be used to determine recipients if the number of students receiving first priority exceeds the number of scholarships in the at-large category.

p)         The total number of scholarships awarded in a given fiscal year is contingent  upon available funding (see section 419D of the HEA (20 USC 1070d-34), Allocation Among States), notwithstanding the number of new scholarships outlined in Appendix A.

q)         Recipients will be informed of their selection by the May 1 preceding the academic year for which the scholarship was requested.

r)          High schools will be notified of the recipients attending their high school by May 1.

s)         If an individual does not accept the offer of a new scholarship award,  the next highest scoring qualified applicant not yet selected from the same geographic district will be chosen to receive a scholarship.

t)          Each year recipients shall complete an "Eligibility Certification" that includes certification statements required by ED.

u)         Scholarship funds shall be sent to the institution on behalf of the recipients.

(Source:  Amended at 35 Ill. Reg. 3529, effective February 16, 2011)