Illinois § 25

§ 25.

Eligibility. (a) To be eligible for assistance under the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an applicant for an undergraduate forgivable loan must meet all of the following qualifications: (1) Be a full-time student at the upper-division undergraduate level in a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education leading to a bachelor's degree in social work or an accredited human services degree program. (2) Have declared an intent to work in child welfare at the Department of Children and Family Services, its successor, or a contracting agency for at least the number of years for which a forgivable loan is received. (3) Have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work. If applying for renewal of an undergraduate forgivable loan, an applicant must have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work and have earned at least 12 semester credits per term, or the equivalent. (b) To be eligible for assistance under the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an applicant for a graduate forgivable loan must meet all of the following qualifications: (1) Be a full-time student at the graduate level in a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education leading to a master's degree in social work or an accredited human services degree program. (2) Have declared an intent to work in child welfare at the Department of Children and Family Services, its successor, or a contracting agency for at least the number of years for which a forgivable loan is received. (3) Hold a bachelor's degree from a school or department of social work at any college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or hold a degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university. (4) Have maintained an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or have attained a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least 1,000. If applying for renewal of a graduate forgivable loan, an applicant must have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate work and have earned at least 9 semester credits per term, or the equivalent. (5) Not have received an undergraduate forgivable loan under the program. (Source: P.A. 94-497, eff. 1-1-06.)