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UNDERGRADUATE FINANCIAL AID
Various types of financial aid (grants, scholarships, student loans, work-study, etc.) are available for undergraduate students at Illinois. Aid is awarded on the basis of need, academic merit, or both. Financial aid is administered through the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA). See the undergrad link on their web pages for additional information and application deadlines for the required application form, "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA) (Note that no financial aid is available to international undergraduates and F-1 visas allow only very limited employment opportunities.)
GRADUATE FINANCIAL AID
In a typical term, at least 75 percent of all MLA students receive some type of financial aid. Opportunities for merit-based financial aid include fellowships, tuition and partial fee waivers, and teaching and research assistantships that incorporate tuition and partial fee waivers.
Financial Aid Application
Since the application form is used both for admission to the Graduate College and as an application for graduate financial aid, all applicants automatically apply for financial aid consideration. Students with acute financial situations should advise the Department by checking the box on the admissions application blank which indicates an inability to enroll without aid. Need alone, however, is not a criterion for dispensing the types of aid under the Department's control. Most aid is awarded on the basis of academic achievement or the ability to perform a specific job. An award of financial aid for the first semester/year is not a guarantee of aid for the semester/year thereafter.
Financial Aid for Continuing Students
Award of financial support for a given semester or year, does not imply continued support. University and CPA fellowships are normally for one year only. Tuition and fee waivers are normally reallocated each semester or each year. Additionally, it is Department policy to spread financial support in whatever form, as widely as possible. In general, the Department places a higher priority on financial assistance for students still in their two year (if they have a previous BLA) or three year (if they have no previous BLA) "normal" enrollment expectancy than for those continuing to enroll beyond that time; particular skills will sometimes override this consideration in the case of assistantships.
Continuing and required "normal progress" towards the degree, full-time enrollment, and undergraduate and graduate grade point averages of 3.00 (B) or better are prerequisites for any financial support, except in extraordinary circumstances. "Normal progress" towards the degree means maintaining a full load each semester and no EX (excused) grades more than one semester old.
For continuing students, the basic measure is through University of Illinois GPA, at both prerequisite and 300/400 levels. Additional factors such as outstanding performances not reflected in GPA, amount of course work taken each semester, number of EX grades or dropped courses, and appraisals by course instructors, may also be used for evaluation, particularly in the case of candidates of roughly comparable GPA.
It is University policy that fellowships, assistantships, and tuition/fee waivers are awarded on the basis of academic merit and, where pertinent, qualifications for a specific task. Except in special, explicit exceptions (e.g., work-study assistantships), financial need is not to be used as a criterion.
The Graduate College requires a minimum number of units (or hours) carried per semester to hold a fellowship or tuition and fee waiver. Check the Graduate Student Handbook for current information.
Temple Hoyne Buell Hall 
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