AIM HIGH Grant
Amount: $5,000 per academic year
Deadline: As soon as possible after October 1
Audience: Undergraduate (Illinois Resident)
Overview
In partnership with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, we’re helping make college more affordable. Qualified Illinois students can significantly reduce the cost of tuition and fees by combining SIUE academic awards with the state-funded AIM HIGH Grant.
Criteria
Funding is awarded based on FAFSA filing date. If you haven’t already, please complete your FAFSA as soon as possible after the December launch to ensure consideration. File your FAFSA online or with the new app, myStudentAid. Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool will make it fast and easy (SIUE FAFSA code: 001759). The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid can be used in lieu of the FAFSA for noncitizen students and transgender students who meet the RISE Act criteria.
According to the rules established by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the eligible applicant:
- Is or will be a full-time undergraduate, not yet received a baccalaureate degree or 135 credit hours
- Must have a cumulative 2.75 high school GPA or higher
- Attended an Illinois high school and is a resident of the state of Illinois. Eligible noncitizen or transgender students who file the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid and meet the RISE Act criteria will also be considered.
- Is or will be enrolled in SIUE for the first time
- Is not incarcerated
- Is not in default on any student loan
- Does not owe a refund or repayment on any state or federal grant or scholarship
- Has filed a FAFSA and demonstrated need with household income no greater than eight times the poverty guidelines
SIUE will use its best efforts to delegate grant funds amongst a racially diverse range of students and not use a student's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information to disqualify him or her from receiving funds under this program.
AIM HIGH Terms and Conditions [pdf]
| People in Household |
Max Income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $108,720 |
| 2 | $146,480 |
| 3 | $184,240 |
| 4 | $222,000 |
| 5 | $259,760 |
| 6 | $297,520 |
| 7 | $335,280 |
| 8 | $373,040 |
| 9+ | $410,800 |
Renewal Criteria and Funding Information
Students who received AIM before Fall 2023 are awarded $2,500 per academic year.
New freshman awards are renewable up to 135 attempted credit hours if the following criteria are met:
- Student is meeting the standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP)
- Cumulative or most recent semester SIUE GPA is 2.0 or higher
- Student maintains 12 or more credit hours per semester
Renewal criteria will not change once awards have been made. All renewal awards are contingent upon the availability of future funding.
AIM HIGH funds:
- Can be used for tuition and fees for the fall and spring semesters
- Will not cover tuition and fees paid by a third party such as an employer
- May be awarded in addition to other SIUE scholarships such as Cougar Pride, Johnetta Haley, and Provost, but may not be used in conjunction with SIUE’s Meridian Scholarship
