CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services will be accepting applications for the 2023 Scholarship Program. Through the program, scholarships will be awarded to current and former youth in care, with four awards reserved for the children of veterans. Scholarship recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and academic fee waivers to be used at state community colleges and public universities, a monthly grant to offset other expenses and a medical card. The department has awarded over 1,500 scholarships since the program began in 1971. The DCFS Scholarship Program is available to youth who have an open DCFS case, whose cases were closed through adoption or guardianship or who aged out of care at 18 or older. Youth who are at least 16 years old and not yet 21 on March 31 may apply.
“Students who have been involved in the foster care system face a unique set of challenges from a young age that often set them at a disadvantage when it comes to funding their education,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
Mon - Fri: 06:00 AM - 10:00 AM
