Section 1.6 - Tuition and Fee Waivers
Date: January 2002
Approved: Senior Associate Vice President for Business and Finance
Overview
Tuition and fee waivers are agreements between students and the University to reduce or eliminate tuition and/or fees. All Illinois public universities are authorized to award two general types of tuition and fee waivers: mandatory waivers and discretionary waivers. Mandatory waivers are authorized by legislation and mandate an award to eligible students who meet the specific parameters and criteria included in the statute. Discretionary waivers are granted at the option of the university. Discretionary waivers include statutory waivers that may be awarded to specific individuals at the discretion of the institution.
Types of Waivers
Mandatory Waivers
Mandatory waivers are waivers that the University is required by State statute to grant to students that meet the specific parameters and criteria included in the statutes.
Types of Mandatory Waivers
- General Assembly Scholarships
- ROTC Scholarships
- Teachers Scholarships: Special Education Grants
- Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Scholarships
- Partial Tuition Waivers for Children of University Employees
- Senior Citizens Courses Act
- Honorary Scholarships
Discretionary Waivers
Discretionary waivers are waivers granted at the option of the University.
Types of Discretionary Waivers
- Faculty/Staff Waivers
- Student Talent/Merit Waivers
- Student Need Waivers
- Student Service Waivers
- Intercollegiate Athletic Waivers
- Graduate Student Waivers
Information on discretionary waivers, including selection criteria, application forms, critical deadline and award dates and administrative responsibilities are available from the campus Graduate College offices, the campus Offices of Financial Aid and the campus Offices of Admissions and Records. In addition, policies and regulations applying to all students may be found in the University's web site at: http://admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/.
Tuition and Fee Waiver Process
A number of University offices are involved in the administration of tuition and fee waivers. The following sections define the roles, responsibilities and authorities for the University offices involved in the process.
Office of Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid coordinates the tuition and fee waiver programs for undergraduate students. The Office of Financial Aid of each campus is responsible for the administration of undergraduate student waiver programs, including the selection criteria, eligibility criteria, application process, award process, record keeping and reporting of waivers.
Selection Criteria - Selection criteria for each type of waiver should be in writing and publicly available. Written selection criteria should inform candidates of the evaluation factors to ensure fair and objective selection of the recipients. Selection criteria should be related to the type of waiver and may include such items as: grade point average, aptitude test scores (e.g., SAT, ACT, GMAT), extracurricular activities, reference checks, interview results, and/or demonstration of skills (e.g., acting, artistic, debate, music).
Eligibility Criteria - Eligibility criteria are the minimum requirements that applicants should meet to become part of the pool of candidates from which the waiver recipients will be selected. Eligibility factors may include status as a full-time student, State residency and acceptance into a specific program. The eligibility criteria for each type of waiver should be in a written form and available from the appropriate University offices and/or published on a University web site.
Application Process - A standard application process for each type of waiver should be available from the Office of Financial Aid.
Award Process - Notices of awards of tuition and fee waivers should be published by the Office of Financial Aid. Each applicant should be notified in writing of the result of his or her application.
Records Retention for Waivers - Appropriate records for each type of waiver program will be retained by the Office of Financial Aid. These records should include at a minimum: name of the waiver program, names of applicants and recipients, applications, and other pertinent information to support an audit of the program. These records should be retained by the Office of Financial Aid for at least five years.
Graduate College
The Graduate College of each campus is responsible for the administration of graduate student waiver programs, including selection criteria, eligibility criteria, application process, award process, record keeping and reporting of waivers.
Selection Criteria - Selection criteria for each type of waiver should be in writing and publicly available. Written selection criteria should inform candidates of the evaluation factors to ensure fair and objective selection of the recipients. Selection criteria should be related to the type of waiver and may include such items as: grade point average, aptitude test scores (e.g.,SAT, ACT, GMAT), extracurricular activities, reference checks, interview results, and/or demonstration of skills (e.g., acting, artistic, debate, music).
Eligibility Criteria - Eligibility criteria are the minimum requirements that applicants should meet to become part of the pool of candidates from which the waiver recipients will be selected. Eligibility factors may include status as a full-time student, State residency and acceptance into a specific program. The eligibility criteria for each type of waiver should be in a written form and available from the appropriate University offices and/or published on a University web site.
Application Process - A standard application process for each type of waiver should be available from the Graduate College.
Award Process - Notices of awards of tuition and fee waivers should be published by the Graduate College. Each applicant should be notified in writing of the result of his or her application.
Records Retention for Waivers - Appropriate records for each type of waiver program should be retained by the Graduate College. These records should include at a minimum: name of the waiver program, names of applicants and recipients, applications, and other pertinent information to support an audit of the program. These records should be retained by the Graduate College for at least five years.
College and Department Units
Colleges and departments award a certain number of undergraduate and graduate tuition and fee waivers each year. The procedures for the application, selection, awarding and administering of these waivers must be in accordance with the process outlined above in the sections on the Office of Financial Aid and the Graduate College.
University-wide Administration
The Office of Planning and Budgeting and the Office of Business and Financial Services are responsible for the preparation of the annual report to the Illinois Board of Higher Education as required under Public Act 92-0051 and other reports as may be required by the Board of Trustees.
The Office of Planning and Budgeting, the Office of Business and Financial Services and the Office of University Audits are responsible for reviewing the records of the administering units for tuition and fee waivers for compliance with applicable statutes and University rules and for recommending improvements to this process.
Reporting and Accounting of Tuition Waivers
Reporting of Tuition and Fee Waivers
The Illinois Board of Higher Education reviews the amount and use of graduate tuition and fee waivers each year. The University is required to report to the Illinois Board of Higher Education by September 15 of each year (Public Act 92-0051):
- Justification of the need for the program.
- The program's intended purposes and goals.
- The program's eligibility and selection criteria.
- The program's cost.
- Any benefits resulting from the program.
Accounting of Tuition and Fee Waivers
Waiver Limits- Undergraduate
The Illinois Board of Higher Education's policy on undergraduate tuition and fee waivers limits the amount of undergraduate tuition revenue to three percent of the total available undergraduate tuition revenue.
Waiver Limits - Graduate
The Illinois Board of Higher Education reviews the amount and use of graduate tuition and fee waivers each year.
Tuition and Fee Waiver Information on the Internet
Following is a listing of some of the University web sites that provide information regarding tuition and fee waivers:
Please send questions regarding this policy manual to OBFSPolicies@uillinois.edu.
Last Updated: March 13, 2008