Military/Veterans Benefits

Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship

Dependents of a veteran who has been declared by the Department of Defense or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war; missing-in-action; to have died as the result of a service-connected disability; or be permanently disabled from service-connected causes with 100% disability; and, who was an Illinois resident or was an Illinois resident within six months of entering service may be eligible for the scholarship.

Eligible dependents are entitled to full payment of tuition and certain fees to any state supported Illinois institution of higher learning consisting of the equivalent of four (4) calendar years of full-time enrollment including summer terms (i.e., 120 points).

For more information and application materials, contact Tracy Smith, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, at 217) 782-3564.

How to Apply and Receive Benefits

Complete the MIA/POW Scholarship Application Form.

Complete our Veterans Educational Benefits Information form for each term you wish to use your benefit.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements

Recipients must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to receive this benefit. The cumulative GPA looks at every class you have taken at Chicago State University, regardless of whether you were receiving benefits during that time period.

Policies and Procedures

• New and transfer students must notify the Veterans Coordinator of "their eligibility status as soon as possible, but no later than the last scheduled day of classes for the term for which the grant is requested"; continuing students should have a MIA/POW card on file.
• MIA/POW pays tuition and activity fees only; MIA/POW will not pay any lab or late fees. MIA/POW will not pay for books and it is not refundable to the student.
• Students can only receive MIA/POW starting from the date they become eligible; if a student was admitted for Fall 2009, but did not apply for MIA/POW until Spring 2010; they cannot use MIA/POW to pay for the Fall term because they did not apply until the Spring term.
• Your MIA/POW award is based on the number of credit hours you are enrolled in at the time your award is disbursed to your student account.
• Maximum amount of eligibility is 120 points (units of eligibility = credit hours).