Illinois residents who are feeling the weight of college tuition might be getting some relief.

Roosevelt University, the University of Illinois, Chicago are announcing their easing cost for low-income students by providing free tuition.

Here to tell us more about it archive level unit a senior associate of community engagement Chicago Scholars, which helps first generation students navigate college admissions Ridge Hayes and executive director of student Financial aid and scholarships at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

And they will and I'm going sky a senior admission counselor for diversity recruitment at Roosevelt University didn't pronounce your name.

Escuela as coca is all the time.

hear a way.

Where is talk about tuition?

It is.

It can be dog as a first generation student I can say was really hard.

That was the first want to go to college.

know.

it's all of us 0, I want to start with you.

Why was it important for Roosevelt to start providing free tuition?

>> Yes.

So when we really think about like I think our school and sort of our mission is that we really are about social justice.

And I think for me personally is making sure that we make education sort of accessible from students regardless of what they are and they have the academic criteria.

We should be doing everything in our power as an addition to help them move for really going to claim to be about that.

So a few years ago, we had a whole restructuring with our tuition reset.

Now we're offering brand new program.

And really, I think it's going to make obviously our school much more affordable accessible at being able to really get students out there to follow dreams when it comes to their sort of a career that they want to go into that sells like a big deal.

Can you tell us who's eligible and what are the requirements?

Yeah.

So for any students whose family income is going to $50,000 last, they have to be residents of Illinois.

They have graduated from an Illinois high school and they have to be citizens under the age of 24.

And so we're really hoping with this up to that any sort of academic scholarships, anything that we offer, we're going to cover the rest of them.

I think that is not going to be covered as anything when it comes to like room and board.

But other ways.

Yeah, we don't want to make sure that we want to help students who want to alleviate give them a little of it.

Some of that because robots for students getting into their universities are college of choice is I think cost, you know, is one of those students who just kind got all the debt just signed up for all the loans.

And also my dad without knowing actually doing.

Yeah, you know, rich, what about you?

I seek you.

Tell us how many students have applied so far for this program and also what are the requirements there?

>> And requirements we got to ASPIRE program, which is a rebrand of a U.S. the opportunity Grant.

But same think we want to provide access to our students because we wanted to very few research institutions in the city of Chicago.

We've got 40,000 plus students and we've already seeing increases in our new student population, transfer population in.

So we anticipate that this is going to be hot topic photos to his company for fall.

25 so a little bit similar to Roosevelt.

Ours is you have to be $75,000 or less on the income level.

First time student or a transfer student coming in.

There's no age requirement.

Bars must be Illinois's resident and must be a full-time student.

So those other cool thing about it is ours is not a last dollar scholarship.

Like most are where you have to wait for everything to come through ours.

it dollar which means we get a gust to up to wish tuition and fees.

We got your tuition fees against Matt Grant, a Pell Grant only and SE OG.

After that, you can still get your other scholarship ship.

He chances fellows, you can use that to cover some of your housing costs in some of those other points of cost of attendance got a lot.

Many of the students who work with are Latinos applying for college right now in navigating this tough process for the first time with no support?

>> Can you talk about what they could?

What that could look like for student who was his dream University in and doesn't know if if they can go there.

Absolutely.

Like students, you know, especially our young that the male students.

And, you know, we're talking about being president as well.

The reality is that they think about these things very intentionally because they think about their families, their communities.

What can they really do is the first time they see a big number in their life.

And so programs like these essentially are really supporting them to really go for their dreams.

But most importantly, as well.

>> realizing that there's communities and spaces, especially universities in their home towns that support them and see them and are willing to work with them to get them to where they want to be.

And you talked about that.

That was you as well.

You know what's what said advice like for a student?

>> Who's going to the college process, something that you learned along the way that you maybe you didn't have growing up, country.

Yeah.

So you know, really what I what I'm asking is what's the advice?

Do you give the it like, you know, we I think intentionally about what is, you know, what you're going to get from the school's.

What are you looking for?

And something of a Chicago scholars every like as we have a match and fit.

>> You the last guy and that means that we made them under center what is your academic fit, your financial, that you're social fit?

And so you can really understand, you know, what is it really, you know, something that's really manageable for you.

And so you could get what you want.

But also, you know, being a career and a space where, you know, you're thinking about that that as well, which is something that is very hard to navigate.

And so really giving them that advice.

And then also still to dream big and really see, you know, what is force the granite and Ridge.

According to ICE's website, some non citizens can also be eligible for free tuition.

Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Yeah.

So with far spy program week, we like to call it eligible non citizens.

>> So if they can complete a of turnover after Elmo should assist the commission with state of Illinois.

>> And we look at the same income level.

Then they can still qualify for the aspiring.

So that's that's going to really help out our undocumented student population to help them just get access because we didn't want to just give it to a fast to follow.

We know that we have a very large population of undocumented students and we want to make sure they have access as well.

>> It's awesome.

Enable you work directly with students to provide admissions and financial aid programming in Spanish Roosevelt.

Can you tell us more about this work?

>> Yes, so one thing that we notice is that we were having events at school and we just had such an overwhelmingly large amount of parents who which is not getting the information just because it was that language barrier.

So we started doing a couple light last semester.

We really started doing sort of events where not only did we just have little microphone.

we were translating things for them as the another provision was going on.

But actually having a presentation was somebody who was a Spanish speaker who can answer their questions in real time and be able to sort of have that conversation a lot of times for having first generation, you know, the first measures my parents, not knowing anything, just having a point of contact that a lot of these players where they could just talk with someone who understands them and get some.

It's so pivotal to helping them be able to sometimes step at our university to see that still going on.

Because you just talked about your experience.

Yeah, about your parents.

I mean, my parents didn't go to college so they didn't really know right there.

Just kind of.

>> I want to college that I want you to Absolutely.

You know what?

I talk with a lot families who are not a traditional nuclear families with the mom and the dad.

And sometimes it is the, you know, the student who is doing out there and getting all the research and then just saying back your mom, our dad or grandma, Grandpa Uncle Brother, sister.

I just need a signature here.

I need your tax document so that I can fill out the FAFSA and they're trying to figure it on themselves.

And so I think at least one of the what am I part that I kind of want to be the point of contact for those students wear.

Alright, you need help and you want to ask all the questions.

I want to be the person where you can ask all the questions.

And even if I can get you in this very second, I can get that to you very quickly.

I'm sure has to feel Ridgewood.

What are your thoughts about that?

I think that is critical.

Having a Spanish speaker that can be able to translate that fast.

information because we know 100 pacification now and act to be parents can fill out a FAFSA form.

They can get FSA ID.

>> It's a little bit different for them.

It takes a little bit longer.

the Department has taken precautions and steps so they can get that fast but completed it doing about paper like they used to do in militant in waiting 6 weeks to get a response back because at the end of the day, I think the number one question every parent go next how much it's going to cost to remember.

We have to say mail in our college nowadays it's so easy.

Ray, how they have our students fill it out cell phones.

Honestly, you can go to our website.

You can apply right from your cell phone right now.

take you 10 minutes.

know what?

>> To your point fast?

We should be 118 questions.

Now it's 46 more than the mortgages because and I would help my parents.

So, you know, your first generation hope your parents trying to understand all that.

you to both of you, can students still apply?

Is this win if they want to play for this free tuition?

Can they still play Yeah.

On that you go.

Yeah.

So for our school, really, it's just a matter of when this didn't like the fact that time comes around, making sure that the fill that out.

And then after that, really we take care of most things.

One thing that our school that I think we like to do really well as that we just ask for your FAFSA and then let us handle everything else with scholarships.

And we're going to see all different things that we can sort of like put you or give you.

>> So it's a very easy process for us at our school.

we only have time for I'm sorry.

We only have a couple seconds.

But as someone who works directly with students.

>> You know, do you think the more university and college need to adapt this kind format?

Absolutely, because at the end of the day, like I said, you're empowering them.

You're showing them that you're intentionally thinking about their journeys and you're seeing them for, you know, all the work and the grind they have done for so