JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Eligibility Units For Illinois Veteran Grant Program

Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) benefits for an academic year are determined based on the number of credit hours for which the qualified applicant is enrolled.

Qualified veterans may receive IVG benefits for the equivalent of four academic years of full-time enrollment, which is measured in eligibility units. Recipients may accumulate up to 120 eligibility units.*

With the exception of veterans who are eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at less than 100% (based on length of service) and choose to use those benefits during the same term that IVG benefits are used, IVG eligibility units are based on the enrolled hours for a particular term, not the dollar amount of the benefits paid.

The amount of eligibility a recipient has used is determined by converting credit hours (and noncredit hours for which benefits are used) to eligibility units, as indicated below:

Number of Hours Semester Term Quarter Term
12 or more hours 12 units 8 units
9 - 11.99 hours 9 units 6 units
6 - 8.99 hours 6 units 4 units
3 - 5.99 hours 3 units 2 units
0 - 2.99 hours 1 unit 1 unit


* Full program benefits may be extended for one additional term if the recipient has accumulated fewer than 120 eligibility units but does not have enough units remaining for the number of hours in which he or she is enrolled for that term.