State and Federal Grants and Loans
The less time you spend worrying about money, the more time you can spend learning and making a difference in the world. We encourage you to check out state and federal financial aid opportunities. Rockford University, in conjunction with the State of Illinois, awards competitive financial aid packages to students – like you – in the form of grants and scholarships. And you don’t have to be from the Prairie State, either. We also offer need-based grants to students from other states, so you can attend Rockford University no matter what state you call home.
- Illinois Minority Teachers Corp. Awards of up to $5,000 per year for a maximum of four semesters.
- Monetary Award Program (MAP). Provides grant assistance to eligible Illinois students demonstrating financial need. Must apply by the deadline determined by the State of Illinois. For more information, visit www.collegezone.com.
There are a number of federal programs available to help you with tuition. These aren’t handouts—some will need to be repaid—but they are a leg-up on dealing with university costs.
- Federal Pell Grants. Need-based federal grants awarded for up to $6,895.* 2021-2022 grants awarded up to $6,495.*
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). Need-based grants that range from $200 to $2,000 and determined by Student Administrative Services (SAS).
- Federal Subsidized Direct Loans. Students may borrow up to $3,500 as first-year students, up to $4,500 as sophomores, up to $5,500 as juniors and seniors. Please refer to our Loan Information page for more details.
- Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loans. Independent students may borrow up to $6,000 per year as first-year students and sophomores and up to $7,000 as juniors and seniors. Graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 per year. Repayment schedules are currently the same as subsidized Direct Loans. Dependent students may borrow up to $2,000 in unsubsidized Direct Loans. Lifetime maximum for undergraduates is $31,000 dependent, $57,500 independent student. Please refer to our Loan Information page for more details.
- Federal Perkins Loans. Need-based loans with a maximum value of $8,000 over four years. **program not available for the 2018-2019 school year and going forward
- Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Designed specifically for parents, this program allows them to borrow the difference between aid awarded and actual tuition costs.
*Maximum amounts are determined by federal guidelines and subject to change.