Section 2763.20  Applicant Eligibility

a)         A qualified applicant shall:

1)         be a minority student or a qualified bilingual minority applicant;

2)         be a resident of Illinois;

3)         be a citizen or eligible noncitizen of the United States;

4)         be a high school graduate or a State of Illinois High School Diploma recipient;

5)         be enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at an institution of higher learning and;

A)        be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study which, upon completion, qualifies the student to be licensed as a preschool, elementary or secondary school teacher by the Illinois State Board of Education, including alternative teacher licensure; or

B)        if the applicant is already licensed to teach, be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a master’s degree in an academic field in which the applicant is teaching or plans to teach; or

C)        have received one or more College and Career Pathway Endorsements (pursuant to Section 80 of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act) and commit to enrolling in a course of study leading to teacher licensure, including alternative teacher licensure.  [110 ILCS 947/506].

6)         if enrolled at the sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level, have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale; and

7)         be maintaining satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution.

b)         In any academic year in which the qualified applicant accepts or receives financial assistance through the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2762), Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2764), the Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2765), or the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2768), the qualified applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship assistance under this Part.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 9463, effective July 1, 2023)