Illinois DREAM Act

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the IL DREAM Act a student must:

  1. Have resided with parents or guardians while attending high school in Illinois.
  2. Have attended a high school in Illinois for a least 3 years from the time of graduation or receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma (such as GED).
  3. Have a least one parent who immigrated to the United States.

The Illinois DREAM Act was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on August 1, 2011. The Illinois DREAM Act is designed to make scholarships, college savings, and prepaid tuition programs available to undocumented students who graduated from Illinois high schools. The Act also creates an Illinois DREAM Fund, and a nine-member Illinois DREAM Commission, appointed by the Governor with Senate consent.

The IL DREAM Act

  1. Allows anyone with a taxpayer number, including undocumented students, to participate in the State Treasurer’s College Savings Pool and the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Plan. These programs allow families of undocumented youths to plan ahead and invest and save for their children’s college education.
  2. Requires High school college counselors to be better trained and prepared to know what college options are available for undocumented students and children of immigrants. This will ensure that undocumented students will receive correct information about opportunities available to them after high school. These trainings will be incorporated into existing trainings for counselors.
  3. Requires the IL Student Assistance Commission to establish an Illinois DREAM Fund Commission that will oversee the Act’s provisions. The commission will consist of nine unpaid members reflecting geographic and ethnic diversity appointed by Governor Quinn. The DREAM Commission will provide scholarships funded entirely by private donors and contributions. The IL DREAM Fund Commission is responsible for overseeing fundraising for the fund, establishing, publicizing, and administering scholarships for qualified students, and researching educational opportunities for immigrant youth.

For more information about the Illinois DREAM Act, please visit:

The IL DREAM Act Fund Scholarship Fall 2018 is now live. If you would like to stay up to date with information and future scholarships, visit their Facebook page.