Eligibility
You must be a student who graduated from an Illinois high school and is attending a public university in Illinois.
Learn moreApplication Process
Complete the FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid every year. Contact the institution you plan to attend to see if they have an additional application process.
Learn moreApplication Deadline
The deadline depends on whether your school has application materials for students to submit.
Learn moreProgram Details
The Aspirational Institutional Match Helping Illinois Grow Higher Education (AIMHIGH) Grant Program provides financial assistance to help pay for a full-time undergraduate student’s cost of attendance at one of Illinois’ 12 public four-year institutions.
NOTICE: 2026-27 Alternative Application
As of July 24, 2026, a federal district court ruled that undocumented students are no longer eligible to receive state financial assistance from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the 2026-2027 school year. As a result, the 2026-27 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, the application certain undocumented students would have used to apply for state financial aid programs this academic year, is no longer available. This means that students who have submitted or planned to submit the 2026-27 Alternative Application, such as Illinois undocumented students, cannot be considered for this program for the 2026-27 school year.
The eligibility criteria for the 2027–28 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid will be changing. This application is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2026. Please visit isac.org/AlternativeApp for more information.
For Students & Parents
To be eligible, you must:
- have attended an Illinois HIGH school*
- be enrolled in a program of study that will be completed by the end of the school year*
- be enrolled for the first time at the public university where the award will be used*
- be a U.S. citizen, or an eligible noncitizen
- be a resident of Illinois
- submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid and show financial need, which is defined as a household income that is not greater than eight times the federal poverty guidelines
- meet the minimum cumulative grade point average and/or ACT or SAT college admissions test score required by the university
- be enrolled in a participating public university as an undergraduate student on a full-time basis. If you are in your final semester, your university may allow you to receive the grant while attending part time.
- not have completed a bachelor’s degree (the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours)
- not be incarcerated
- not be in default on any student loan, or owe a refund on any state or federal grant
- meet any additional requirements set by the university
* If you are applying only for your university's matching funds, some of these eligibility requirements may not apply. See the program information for your university.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or if applicable, the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.
- Review the program information for your university or contact the university’s financial aid office to learn if there are additional application requirements or deadlines set by the university.
AIM HIGH is a renewable grant. If you receive the grant and continue to meet the eligibility requirements, you may receive the grant in future academic years. Your renewal award will be the same amount as your first-year award unless your cost of attendance decreases.
The participating public four-year Illinois universities are:
- Chicago State University
- Eastern Illinois University
- Governors State University
- Illinois State University
- Northeastern Illinois University
- Northern Illinois University
- Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
- Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville
- University of Illinois – Chicago
- University of Illinois – Springfield
- University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign
- Western Illinois University
Complete the FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid by the deadline each year. Contact your school to find out if there are additional application materials you need to fill out, and if so, what the deadline is to submit them.
ISAC determines the amount of AIM HIGH grant funding that each public university will receive for its students each academic year. ISAC then provides this funding to the university, which is paid to students according to the university’s procedures.
All AIM HIGH-participating universities will provide matching funding for institutional awards for students who meet the university’s eligibility requirements. You may or may not receive both the AIM HIGH grant and the university’s matching award, depending on how the university designed its matching program.
Program of study: a program of study is a structured sequence of course and learning experiences designed to provide students with knowledge and skills in a specific academic discipline or professional field
For Partners & Professionals
Program Details
AIM HIGH is a hybrid need and merit-based grant program that helps public universities attract and retain Illinois students from low- and middle-income families. Schools set their own program criteria within state guidelines and must match a percentage of state funds with non-loan aid.
The 2027 fiscal year (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) appropriation for the AIM HIGH Grant Program is $50,000,000.
Public universities apply for and receive an allocation from the AIM HIGH appropriation through ISAC. Each year, ISAC will release an application that requires, at a minimum, the following information:
- the amount of the allocation the university has claimed for the upcoming academic year;
- the total university campus funds used to match funds received from ISAC in the previous academic year, if any;
- the total number of undergraduate students who are residents of Illinois from the previous academic year;
- all information and certifications that demonstrate eligibility; and
- any other information or certifications required by law or the Grant Agreement.
ISAC determines the amount of AIM HIGH grant funding that public universities will receive each academic year. ISAC then allocates funding to the university, and it will be disbursed to students according to the university’s procedures.
Q. What happens if a university submits an incomplete or late application?
A. If an application is incomplete, ISAC will notify the university and provide an opportunity to submit the missing information. An application will not be considered complete until all required information is received by ISAC.
Universities that do not submit a complete and timely application may not receive their full allocation. Remaining funds may be made available to other eligible universities that submitted timely applications and requested additional funding.
Q. How does ISAC determine each university’s AIM HIGH allocation?
A. ISAC uses enrollment information from the previous academic year to determine each university’s proportionate share of available AIM HIGH funds for the upcoming academic year.
Q. Does a university have to request its full AIM HIGH allocation?
A. No. Each public university may choose to request all or part of its available allocation. If a university does not request its full allocation, ISAC may redistribute the remaining funds to other eligible universities that have requested additional funding.
Q. When will universities receive funds to disburse to eligible students?
A. The AIM HIGH Grant Program is forward funded. A request for the Illinois Comptroller to release a school’s calculated, annual allocation for AIM HIGH is made once ISAC receives and verifies the school’s most recent academic year AIM HIGH Grant recipient data submission (due by June 15 each year), and both a grant agreement is executed no later than June 30each year and an expenditure request is completed shortly thereafter. Assuming these deadlines are met, schools normally receive their allocation in late June to mid-July. The allocation that is received is for the school to expend in the upcoming academic year.
Q. How are AIM HIGH funds used and administered by universities?
A. Universities are responsible for awarding AIM HIGH funds to eligible undergraduate students according to program requirements and university policies. Universities are encouraged to review ISAC administrative rules PART 2766: AIM HIGH GRANT PROGRAM for complete details on administering this program on your campus.
Q. Do any reporting requirements apply to participating universities?
A. Public universities must submit recipient data from the most recent regular academic year before receiving their allocation for the upcoming academic year. Each year, ISAC provides data reporting guidelines to university financial aid directors by email in late April or early May. Reports are due in June.
Resources for Partners & Professionals
Contact [email protected] with questions