DeKalb Times

Northern Illinois University is offering a Huskie Pledge Program to assist Illinois families with tuition costs and related fees.

The program will provide funding to accepted households with an income of less than $75,000, starting for the fall 2021 semester for first-year students.

Students must meet eligibility requirements, including earning a 3.0 or higher grade-point average from an Illinois high school, being a resident of Illinois, be enrolled full-time as an incoming freshman, etc. The program will completely cover the first-year of tuition and fees, according to the NIU website.

Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-DeKalb) promoted the program on Facebook, saying, "The Huskie Pledge at Northern Illinois University is opening doors for low-income students in Illinois."

The program is dedicated to making college education affordable to underserved students from low-income families to reduce barriers. Statistics show that 40% of students from low-income households that get accepted into college in the spring fail to show up to class in the fall. Of the students who were admitted to NIU this fall, 20% were eligible for this program, and 37% of those who enrolled in the school qualified.

"Of the 700 freshmen enrolled through the program this year, 80% were students of color, and 75% were first-generation college students," Keicher said.

With hopes to boost the academic profile of the incoming class, the Huskie Pledge Program is funded by the State of Illinois' AIM HIGH Program, which covers the tuition and fees gaps after grants and scholarships are depleted.

"All will have tuition and most fees covered for up to four years." Rep. Keicher said.

The financial support for four years means that students in the program are more likely to graduate from college, which will change their future earning potential.

If applicants or their parents have an increase in pay after accepted into the program, they will not lose their eligibility. The renewal income will be based on what was reported on the FAFSA to the respective school year.

Those who have questions should contact the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office by calling 815-753-1395 or email at finaid@niu.edu.