Frequently Asked Questions about the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge

Funding is limited, so students should apply for admission to NIU and file a FAFSA or alternative Illinois RISE Act application by the priority deadline of Feb. 1, 2023.

• Be an Illinois resident. (See definition of Illinois resident for undocumented students)
• Be a graduate of an Illinois high school during the 2022-23 school year.
• Have a cumulative 3.0 high school GPA or higher.
• Be a full-time (12 hours per semester) incoming freshman at NIU in the fall of 2023.
• Apply for admission to NIU and file a FAFSA or the alternative Illinois RISE Act application by the priority deadline of Feb. 1, 2023.
• Have a parent who is an Illinois resident listed on your FAFSA or Illinois RISE Act application.
• Have a family adjusted gross income at or below $75,000. This information will be collected on the 2023-24 FAFSA or Illinois RISE Act application, using the 2021 tax year.
• Have family assets of $75,000 or less, as defined by the FAFSA or Illinois RISE Act application. (Home equity and the value of retirement accounts are not considered.)
• Meet all criteria as outlined by the State of Illinois AIM HIGH program.

For the purposes of the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Program, an undocumented student is considered to be an Illinois resident and eligible to complete an Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid if they meet the following requirements:

• Lived with their parent or guardian while attending a public or private high school in Illinois.
• Graduated from a public or private high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in Illinois.
• Attended school in Illinois for at least three years as of the date they graduated from high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma.

In addition, undocumented students will be required to confirm that they will file an application to become a permanent resident of the U.S. at their earliest opportunity to do so.

AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant amounts will vary, depending on the student. The Pledge program was created to assist qualifying students by ensuring that grants and scholarships will at least equal tuition and general fees. 

First a student’s eligibility for state and federal need based grants and the traditional NIU need-based Advantage Grant is determined.  If the combination of these grants together with previously awarded NIU merit scholarships does not equal tuition and fees, the difference will be awarded as a AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant.

If eligibility criteria continue to be met, the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant is renewable, although the grant amount remains the same. (The grant amount is not recalculated annually.)

Here are two examples using current NIU tuition and general fees. 

Freshman Student One

Potentially renewable grant amount: $2,891.04

Freshman Student Two

Potentially renewable grant amount: $923.04

The full cost of fall and spring full-time tuition and general fees. This includes differential tuition. 

Summer tuition and fees, student health insurance, study abroad fees, course material fees, parking permits, housing and dining charges, fines, book store charges and indirect costs such as transportation and supplies.

However, students may have other types of financial aid that can cover other charges (except fines).

For 2023-24, your AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant eligibility is determined by a family adjusted gross income (AGI). The AGI reported on the FAFSA for both you and your parent(s) is combined. If that sum is $75,000 or less, you meet the income criteria. Your initial eligibility will be based on the 2023-24 FAFSA, which uses 2021 income information.

You and, if dependent by federal financial aid regulations, your parent(s) will report certain assets on the FAFSA. Home equity and the value of retirement accounts, two of the most common parent assets, are not reported. We will add reported assets from you and your parents; if the sum is $75,000 of less, you meet the asset criteria.

No, this financial aid program is only available to incoming freshmen for the fall of 2023. Current and transfer students are encouraged to apply for other forms of financial aid and scholarships.

If you received the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant in a previous year, you can qualify to renew it until 135 credit hours have been earned or the first NIU degree has been completed.

If enrollment and university GPA criteria continue to be met, the same AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant amount received during the initial year of NIU enrollment will be renewable until 135 credit hours have been earned or the first NIU degree has been completed.

This means we will not reduce the Huskie Pledge amount if you later receive private scholarships or other NIU scholarships, or if your household income changes. Likewise, the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge will not increase if other grants or scholarships decrease. We will only reduce the Huskie Pledge amount if you subsequently receive a waiver or grant through Illinois programs such as the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver and the Illinois Veterans Grant or from programs such as DORs, WIOA and DCFS that cover tuition and general fees.

All other grants and scholarships awarded to freshman students are re-determined each year based on the individual program’s eligibility criteria and funding. For this reason, we cannot guarantee your full tuition and general fees will be covered beyond your freshman year. However, state and federal need-based grants generally remain constant or increase through four years, if family income and size remain constant. If your grants and scholarships increase, your locked-in AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant funding stays the same, and any excess can be used for books, housing or other expenses.

The NIU Need Advantage Grant is a two-year need-based grant. If you receive both, the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge Grant cannot be increased to replace this grant in years three and four.

• Have continuous full-time enrollment for each fall and spring semester.
• Maintain an NIU cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher*.
• Meet all standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• You have not attempted 135 credit hours or earned a degree.
• Meet all criteria as outlined by the State of Illinois AIM HIGH program.

*Note: The cumulative GPA (CGPA) is an annual snapshot after the conclusion of the spring semester each year.  A student who, after spring grades are processed, establishes eligibility for the upcoming year will not lose eligibility based on summer or fall grades. However, a student who does not meet the CGPA criteria can regain eligibility for the year if summer grades raise the CGPA, or for spring if fall grades raise the CGPA, to at least a 2.5.

Yes. The AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge grant is based upon the calculations in your initial application for financial aid. Any amount awarded will not change if your family income later increases.

You will be notified in your financial aid offer letter. They will be mailed out beginning in February to students who have been admitted to NIU and have completed the financial aid application process.

If you receive an athletic scholarship from NIU or are a non-scholarship roster athlete, your eligibility for all institutional aid must be determined by NCAA rules that supersede other NIU grants and scholarships. 

No, but you may have other aid options. NIU merit scholarships awarded at the time of admission are renewable for four years. The need-based Huskie Advantage Grant is renewable for a second year. Filing the FAFSA each year will ensure you continue to be considered for the federal Pell Grant and the Illinois State Monetary Award Program (MAP) each year. And NIU has more than 400 scholarships you may apply for each year.

Contact the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office at 815-753-1395 or finaid@niu.edu with questions about the AIM HIGH Huskie Pledge.