JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Golden Apple Scholars Application, Certification and Award Determination

Application
Certification
Award Determination

Application

Any Illinois high school student who is interested in a teaching career is eligible for the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program. Applications for the program are accepted and processed by the Golden Apple Foundation. Refer to the Golden Apple Foundation website for eligibility requirements, the online application and deadline dates.

The list of eligible applicants provided to ISAC by the Golden Apple Foundation will display on the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen, which is in the same format as all other ISAC administered program administered via the G AP Access system.

The "Year in Program" field on the “Student List Eligibility: View” screen represents the number of years that a student has been a Golden Apple Scholar (for example, records for Scholars receiving their first award this year will have a value of "1" in the "Year in Program" field). Each recipient's maximum annual award amount is based on the number of years that they have been a Golden Apple Scholar, rather than their academic level in college.

Values that the Golden Apple Foundation may provide for the "Year in Program" field are as follows:

1 = 1st year as a Golden Apple Scholar
2 = 2nd year as a Golden Apple Scholar
3 = 3rd year as a Golden Apple Scholar
4 = 4th year as a Golden Apple Scholar
5 = 5th year as a Golden Apple Scholar

Colleges are required to report each Scholar's academic level (e.g., Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior) via the "Academic Level" field on the "Payment Requests" screen.

Initial Certification Overview

An Initial Certification record is created in the Golden Apple system when a list of applicants is provided to ISAC by the Golden Apple Foundation. The Golden Apple Foundation will certify an applicant’s eligibility each term. Colleges can view the status of an applicant on the Student Eligibility List: View screen.

Colleges are not responsible for certifying initial eligibility – their role starts with payment processing. If the applicant meets all the eligibility criteria, the applicant is awarded at the time a record is certified.

Determining Award Amounts

When the Golden Apple Foundation certifies that an applicant is eligible to receive a scholarship, an award will display on the Student Eligibility List: View screen.

The amount of each award is determined by the number of years the applicant has been a Golden Apple Scholar (i.e., “Year in Program”). Award amounts are as follows:

  • The maximum annual award for those in their first or second year of being a Scholar is $2,500.
    • Semester schools will receive $1,250 per term.
    • Quarter schools will receive $834 for the first quarter, $833 for the second quarter, and $833 for the third quarter per term.
  • The maximum annual award for those in their third, fourth or fifth year of being a Scholar is $5,000.
    • Semester schools will receive $2,500 per term.
    • Quarter schools will receive $1,667 for the first quarter, $1,667 for the second quarter, and $1,666 for the third quarter per term.

Communication to applicants regarding their award status is done by the Golden Apple Foundation.