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MeritPlaybook / Take-home research

Illinois
Decision sheet

Illinois · Research checked 2026-07-02 · School research, not an aid offer

The starting point

Big Ten public flagship with a thin but predictable in-state automatic merit ladder (President's Award $5K, PAP Honors $10K, Anthony-Blackshear full tuition for IL high school grads), plus a need-aware $10K Illinois Achievement award for non-residents. Top-end competitive awards (Stamps full COA, Provost full tuition) are pure merit but scarce.

Selection beyond grades and scores. These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

Awards to discuss

First 3 of 8 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.

Stamps Scholarship

Up to the cost of attendance · Variable or qualified amount

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Incoming freshmen; competitive selection. Separate Stamps application process on top of UIUC admission.

Renewal: Renewable for 4 years, provided the recipient maintains a 3.0 GPA.

Other terms: Top-of-pyramid competitive merit award at Illinois. The Stamps Scholars Foundation funds these across roughly 40 partner universities; UIUC selection follows admission. Variable count per cycle.

https://www.osfa.illinois.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/merit-based-scholarships/

Provost Scholarship

Full tuition · Published coverage or package

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Incoming freshmen; competitive selection through OSFA/admissions review.

Renewal: Renewable for 4 years, provided you maintain a 3.0 GPA and full-time continuous enrollment.

Other terms: Full-tuition merit award. One of two named full-tuition tiers at UIUC (with the IL-resident-only Anthony-Blackshear). Selection is via review, not stats-only automatic.

https://www.osfa.illinois.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/merit-based-scholarships/

James Hunter Anthony & Gerald E. Blackshear Endowment

Equal to full tuition and fees for an academic year · Published coverage or package

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Incoming freshmen who have graduated from an Illinois high school. Selection process through OSFA.

Renewal: Renewable for 4 years, provided you maintain a 3.0 GPA and full-time continuous enrollment.

Other terms: IL-resident-only full-tuition award. Effectively the second full-tuition tier alongside Provost, but restricted to Illinois high school graduates. Most overlooked award in UIUC's lineup because it isn't framed as a 'merit' tier.

https://www.osfa.illinois.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/merit-based-scholarships/

Ask before you decide

  1. Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
  2. What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
  3. How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?

Recorded stacking policy: Illinois's published policy is loan-first: private outside scholarships reduce loans and Federal Work-Study before grant aid. COA is the outer ceiling: total aid cannot exceed cost of attendance. Outside scholarship checks must be sent to OSFA with a Private Outside Scholarship Form, made payable to the University of Illinois with the student's name and UIN.

Our unanswered questions / Family notes

Keep the sources with the decision

Full research, award details and source context: https://meritplaybook.com/colleges/illinois/merit-aid

The research date is not a guarantee that a policy still applies. Confirm current amounts, deadlines and conditions with the school before making a financial decision.