Illinois § 20

§ 20.

Scholarships. (a) Beginning with the fall term of the 2009-2010 academic year, the Department, in accordance with rules adopted by it for this program, shall provide scholarships to individuals selected from among those applicants who qualify for consideration by showing all of the following: (1) That the individual has been a resident of this State for at least one year prior to application and is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the United States. (2) That the individual enrolled in or accepted into a mental health graduate program at an approved institution. (3) That the individual agrees to meet the mental health employment obligation. (b) If in any year the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of scholarships to be awarded, the Department shall, in consultation with the Advisory Council, consider the following factors in granting priority in awarding scholarships: (1) Financial need, as shown on a standardized financial needs assessment form used by an approved institution. (2) A student's merit, as shown through his or her grade point average, class rank, and other academic and extracurricular activities. The Department may add to and further define these merit criteria by rule. (c) Unless otherwise indicated, scholarships shall be awarded to recipients at approved institutions for a period of up to 2 years if the recipient is enrolled in a master's degree program and up to 4 years if the recipient is enrolled in a doctoral degree program. (Source: P.A. 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22.)