Your Elevate College Prep Experience Adds Up to More Than Experience
Illinois Tech wants you to achieve your full potential, and our Edge Award will ensure you get more hands-on Elevate experiences that will land you a great job. We offer the award to high school students who complete a virtual internship and want to continue their journey at Illinois Tech. If you decide to pursue your bachelor’s degree at Illinois Tech, you can use your Edge Award funding toward your Illinois Tech tuition!*
*Students who started their degree program at Illinois Tech prior to fall 2024 cannot use their Edge Award toward tuition. Please view the Edge Award policy for students who matriculated prior to fall 2024.
How You Can Earn Edge Awards
Opportunities to earn Edge Awards are available to 9th–11th grade students. A common way to earn an Edge Award is by completing a virtual internship, participating in an Elevate College Prep summer program, or taking dual enrollment courses!
These Edge Award earning opportunities are available to students beginning in summer 2023. We cannot retroactively award students who participated in programs prior to summer 2023.
Students who begin their undergraduate studies through an in-person bachelor’s degree program at Illinois Tech beginning in fall 2024 may apply their Edge Awards toward undergraduate tuition, divided across four years. Edge Awards must be earned by participating in qualified Elevate College Prep programs prior to applying for undergraduate admission to Illinois Tech.
| Program | Award Amount |
|---|---|
| Dual Enrollment Course | $1,000 per course |
| Special Events | $200 per experience |
| Apprenticeships | $750 per completion |
| PLTW Course | $500 per course |
| Elevate College Prep Summer Programs | $500 per experience |
| Qualified Admission Events | $200 per event |
| Virtual Internships | $1,000 per internship |
Edge Award FAQs
- Incoming Illinois Tech undergraduate and graduate students can redeem their Edge Awards that they earned prior to attending Illinois Tech for any qualified Elevate experience listed in the Elevate portal while they are enrolled at Illinois Tech. New students must submit an enrollment deposit to use their Edge Award for an Elevate experience.
- High school students can redeem their Edge Awards for any qualified Elevate College Prep experience occurring prior to their high school graduation.
You may request funding using our electronic form: Funding Request Electronic Form. Email elevate@iit.edu with questions.
Once you earn an Edge Award, you will receive an email from Illinois Tech outlining the amount you’ve earned from your most recent activity. To check your Edge Award balance, contact elevate@iit.edu.
Although there is no limit to the number of experiential learning opportunities you may participate in, students are able to earn a maximum total of $5,000 in Edge Awards, with no more than $1,000 from virtual internships (two per student).
You may use your Edge Award to cover summer course tuition as well as summer housing in our residence halls.
- Incoming Illinois Tech undergraduate and graduate students must be enrolled at the university to apply their Edge Awards toward Elevate experiences. Edge Awards expire at the time of degree completion.
- High school students may use their Edge Awards toward any qualified Elevate College Prep experience. If students pursue their bachelor’s degree at Illinois Tech, they may apply any remaining Edge Awards toward qualified Elevate experiences. If a student does not enroll at Illinois Tech, their Edge Awards expire at the time of high school graduation.