The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is accepting applications for the 2026 DCFS Scholarship Program. Scholarship recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and academic fee waivers if they attend a public university or community college, a monthly grant of $1,577 to offset other expenses and a medical card. In 2025, DCFS awarded scholarships to 334 college-bound youth. The DCFS Scholarship Program is available to youth who have an open DCFS case, whose cases were closed through adoption or guardianship or who aged out of care at 18 or older. Applications are available online at https://apply.mykaleidoscope.com/program/ILDCFS2026 students are encouraged to submit their applications in advance of the March 31 deadline.  Applicants or caregivers may call the DCFS Office of Education and Transition Services at 217-557-2689 or email DCFS.Scholarship@illinois.gov with questions about the application process or for more information.