INTERESTED IN FREE TUITION?!

The Illinois In-State Tuition Waiver (ISTW) is the hidden gem of the UIUC NROTC program. It allows up to 40 in-state students attending the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign to incur $0 cost of tuition while they participate in the NROTC program. It may be granted to College Program students applying for the two- or three-year “sideload” scholarship as well as those already on scholarship, MECEPs, or STA-21 officer candidates. Scholarship students have the option to choose room and board payment while the ISTW covers tuition! Come talk to us how you can attend UIUC almost free (the waiver does not cover most fees)!

The Tuition Waiver is granted to students in the NROTC Battalion who:

Possess Illinois residency.
Remain in good standing academically, physically, and personally. 

​
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarships (105 ILCS 5/30-16): Scholarships are offered to residents of Illinois whose scholastic standing enables them to enroll in ROTC programs. The scholarships exempt the holder from paying tuition or fees, with the exception of fees for book rental, service, laboratory, supply, union building, hospital and medical insurance, and any fees pledged for the payment of interest and principal on bonds for the operation and maintenance of buildings.
Purpose: The General Assembly declared that it is essential for the national defense and for the defense of the state of Illinois that provisions be made for ROTC training among those residents of this state receiving higher education. In order to provide officers for the US Armed Forces, scholarships should be furnished to eligible residents, in order to encourage their participation in the ROTC programs.
Goals: To increase the participation of students in the ROTC programs.
Eligibility and Criteria: Residents of the state of Illinois whose scholastic standing will enable them to enroll in the ROTC programs available at universities supported by the State of Illinois are eligible. Applicants are required to take an examination each year according to rules prescribed by the presidents, or designees, of participating institutions. Scholarships are awarded on a merit basis to those eligible recipients receiving the highest grades with evidence of leadership ability. Applicants also must submit to the institution Selective Service registration compliance documentation. Waivers shall be awarded at each university on the basis of the equivalent of 40 scholarships per class, per branch of service, each academic year.

​For more information, see 105 ILCS 5/30-16.