JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Using College Illinois!® Benefits

When a student has prepaid tuition benefits available for use, College Illinois!® will send the student an information package and a Student Handbook for Using Program Benefits about using prepaid tuition. The prepaid tuition account must be paid in full before any benefits may be used.

Each College Illinois! account includes a specific number of tuition credit hours and mandatory fee payments. Each semester purchased is the equivalent of 15 credit hours and one mandatory fee payment. Semester hours can be converted into quarter hours for those institutions operating on a quarterly schedule and trimester hours for those institutions operating on a trimester schedule.

Eligible Schools

College Illinois! prepaid tuition benefits can be used at any Illinois public university, community college or any in-state or out-of-state eligible institution. An eligible institution is defined in Section 529 of the federal Internal Revenue Code as any school that is eligible to participate in federal student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

College Illinois! works differently for students attending a private or out-of-state college or university than for students attending an Illinois public university or community college. Students should follow the instructions from the Student Handbook for Using Program Benefits that apply to the type of school they plan to attend.  

College Illinois! is intended to cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for full- or part-time undergraduate study. While the program does not offer prepaid tuition plans to cover graduate study, benefits may be applied to graduate student tuition and fees, but will be paid out at the undergraduate tuition rate.

How to Apply Benefits and Payment

It is the student’s responsibility to notify the school’s billing office about the intention to use College Illinois! benefits so the school can bill the program for the tuition and mandatory fees covered by the prepaid tuition contract. Payment will be made directly to the school from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) via the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office.

If a student intends to use prepaid tuition benefits at your school, but the school has never requested payment from College Illinois!, please contact a College Illinois! representative at 877.877.3724. The program representative will provide the specific information needed to verify a student’s eligibility and submit an invoice for payment. 

Tuition invoices may be submitted by schools electronically via the secure invoicing portal. A User Guide is available on the site to answer questions.