Navigating Will County Scholarships: A Comprehensive Guide

Will County offers a variety of scholarship opportunities for students pursuing higher education. These scholarships aim to support students in various fields, from healthcare and education to agriculture and those with specific needs. This article provides a detailed overview of some of the scholarships available to Will County residents.

Will County Heroes Nursing & Teaching Scholarship

Recognizing the critical roles of educators and healthcare professionals, Will County has invested \$10 million of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding into the Will County Heroes Nursing & Teaching Scholarship. This initiative aims to encourage students pursuing careers in healthcare or education to live in Will County and, after graduation, work at a Will County education or healthcare institution.

Program Overview

The Will County Heroes Grant was designed to award participants \$2,500 per semester, or \$5,000 per academic year, as an education and employment incentive for professionals to stay and work in Will County. The program began in the Fall of 2022 and concluded in the Fall semester of 2025 (effective December 18, 2025).

Participating Institutions

Will County awarded \$2,500,000 to each of four higher education partners:

Governors State University
University of St. Francis
Lewis University
Joliet Junior College

These funds were intended to create a pathway for enrollment, education, and employment within Will County. Both Lewis University and Governors State University shared some of their funding with JJC to ensure dollars were used to assist as many students as possible. Over the lifetime of this grant, JJC administered more than \$3,800,000 to more than 1,200 unduplicated JJC students to cover tuition and fees. JJC has appreciated the partnership with Lewis University and Governors State University, as well as the opportunity to provide financial assistance to so many students as they pursued nursing, allied health, teaching, or early childcare programs.

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Eligible Career Fields

The Will County Heroes Grant provided assistance to students at the four higher education partners pursuing careers in:

Teaching: Students pursuing teacher certification for education majors interested in teaching in Will County after graduation. Eligible programs include Biology Teacher Education, BS; Chemistry Teacher Education, BS; Elementary Education, BS; English Teacher Education; Social Sciences Teacher Education; Master of Arts in Early Childhood; Master of Health Administration Program; Master of Arts in Psychology; Master of Educational Administration; Master Multicategorical Special Education.
Healthcare: Students interested in becoming health care professionals and working in Will County after graduation. Eligible programs include RN to BSN Nursing, Health Administration, BHA, Social Work, BSW, Community Health, BHS, Communication Disorders, BHS, Master of Health Science in Addictions Studies, Master of Health Science in Communication Disorders, Master of Health Administration Program, Master of Science in Health Informatics, Master of Science in Nursing Programs, Master of Occupational Therapy Program, Master of Social Work Program, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the Will County Heroes Grant, students must meet the following criteria:

Impacted Students: Students must qualify and attest to ONE of the following:
- Low or Moderate Income Households: Income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Guideline for the size of the household. Treasury states that income at or below 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the size of the household based on the most recently published poverty guidelines meets the definition of “impacted”. A household includes the related family members and all the unrelated people, if any, such as lodgers, foster children, wards, or employees who share the housing unit.
- Households That Experienced Unemployment: Professionals seeking a career change as a result of losing their employment through the pandemic.
- Households That Qualify for Certain Federal Benefits: Which includes Medicaid, Pell, SNAP, WIC.
Teaching and healthcare students who live in Will County and expect to work at a Will County education or healthcare institution, respectively, after graduation.
Students must be a US Citizen in order to qualify for the scholarship.

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Aims and Objectives

"Will County is proud to be empowering the next generation of heroes within our schools and hospitals. This program will create quality education opportunities and long-term career success for students throughout Will County. In conjunction with Ascension St. Joseph, Silver Cross, Center for Economic Development, and Workforce Services, the program will foster a pipeline for students seeking employment after graduation in teaching and nursing. The pipeline partners will support students as they grow their career after graduation, connecting them with a working environment that will foster positive career development."

Will County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarships

The Will County Farm Bureau Foundation offers scholarships to students pursuing higher education, with a focus on supporting those with ties to agriculture. The Hispanic/Latino Scholarship aims to strengthen Will and Grundy County by advancing post-secondary education among Hispanic students.

General Information and Rules for 2026 Scholarships

All application information must be typed on the form provided. Re-creations will not be accepted. An electronic version is available online. Do NOT print on both sides of the paper. Resumes and letters of referral are not accepted.
Anyone 23 years of age and older must have their own Will County Farm Bureau membership to apply. This scholarship is for any college or accredited school of higher learning or technology.
If a person has been awarded either scholarship offered by the Will County Farm Bureau Foundation in 2025 and the monies were distributed, they will not be eligible for either scholarship for 2026.
If an applicant receives a 2026 scholarship offered by the Will County Farm Bureau Foundation, they will not be eligible for any Will County Farm Bureau scholarship for the following year (2027).
DEADLINE RULES: The deadline for the 2026 scholarship application will be March 2, 2026. NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED! All applications must be postmarked and/or hand delivered to the Farm Bureau office on or before the deadline date. If all information requested is not present with the application on or before the deadline date, the application will be considered incomplete.
The Foundation Scholarship committee will review the applications in March and will notify the designated winners in April. All applications are judged on with personal identifiers removed. The decision of the Will County Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship Board of Directors will be final.
Please note: College freshmen will not receive their payment of scholarship funds before December 1st, 2026, and will be applied to their second semester. College enrollment is verified after September 1st, 2026, and scholarships are not paid until verifications are received. All other scholarship payments (Sophomore-Doctorate) will be made no earlier than August 15th, 2026. You must be in college for the 2026-27 school year and not graduated to receive the 2026 scholarship. The check will be sent directly to the school of enrollment and may be applied to tuition, room and board, or college fees.
The number of scholarships to be awarded will be determined at the Foundation Annual meeting by the Foundation Board of Directors. This year, twenty-six (26) \$2,000.00 scholarships will be provided to high school seniors and twenty-six (26) - \$2,000.00 scholarships will be provided to college students completing their sophomore year through possible doctorate.
Awards will be not issued for Summer 2026. Applicants for Fall of 2026 will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis as grant money is available.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Beyond the Will County Heroes and Farm Bureau Foundation scholarships, several other opportunities exist for students in Will County:

University of Illinois - Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver: The University of Illinois offers a Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver to students who have a parent who participated in World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, the Southwest Asia Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Marianjoy Scholarship Program: The Marianjoy Scholarship Program pays tuition for qualified students with permanent disabilities of the type treated at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital.
Illinois SETTW Program & MTI Scholarship Program: Complete applications postmarked after that date are considered for the Illinois SETTW Program only if available waivers remain after all timely complete applicants have been awarded. Please be aware that a qualified applicant must notify their college of their eligibility status as soon as possible, but no later than the last scheduled date of classes for the term for which the grant is requested. It is the applicant's responsibility to obtain and submit all required documentation to allow the application to be processed within the required time. Complete applications received after that date are considered for the MTI Scholarship Program only if funding remains after all timely complete applicants have been awarded.
P.L.A.Y. Scholarship: P.L.A.Y. has always made a point to promote compassion towards animals in both our personal and professional lives. From working directly with local shelters to donating products to animals in need through our Warm Bellies Initiative with the Petfinder Foundation, animal welfare has always been a staple of our business. In an effort to encourage them and promote this cause, P.L.A.Y. offers scholarships to students who demonstrate a commitment to animal welfare.

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