Paying for College

Tuition cost and fees can be be found on the Tuition & Fees webpage. Tuition is due three (3) weeks before the start of class for each start term. For specific dates and deadlines visit the Tuition Due Dates page.

Parkland offers several ways for you to pay your tuition. For more information on payment options, view the Business Office Payment Options page or visit Connect to pay your tuition.

Financial aid makes college affordable for you. There are three forms of financial aid:

• Grants and Scholarships that don’t have to be paid back
• Student Loans that do need to be paid back after you get out of school
• Federal Work-Study that you earn as you work in a department or office at Parkland during the semester

To apply for financial aid, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on-line at the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website.

Visit the Financial Aid and Veteran Services webpage for more information on their office. 

Students receiving any type of financial aid must meet Parkland’s Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

Financial Assistance information can also be found in the Parkland Catalog and Parkland Policy and Procedure Manual. 

To be eligible for Title IV funds, a student must make satisfactory aca­demic progress at Parkland. The requirements for this can be found on the Financial Aid: Satisfactory Academic Progress website. 

Parkland College and the Parkland Foundation, along with private donors, offer a variety of scholarships to Parkland students.  Students will apply for scholarships using an online scholarship application.  

The Spring application deadline is November 1^st and the Fall application deadline is March 31^st.  

For more information, please contact Financial Aid at 217/351-2222 or email finaid@parkland.edu.

Out of district students who are interested in pursuing a program of study that is not offered at their home community college, may be eligible for to attend Parkland College and pay tuition at the resident rate.  More information is available by going to the Career Agreement webpage. 

Please see the Refund Policies webpage for detailed information regarding student account refunds. 

For more money, make sure to check outside resources such as:  FASTWeb and CollegeBoard.

Student Emergency Fund

The Student Emergency Fund was established by the Parkland College Foundation to help students stay in school when they don’t have enough funds to get through a semester or an emergency arises. The award amount is $500 or less. Possible use of funds include books, bus tickets, etc. Ongoing expenses like rent, utility expenses, etc. are not covered. This is a one-time award. Once a student accesses this fund, they can’t access it again. Students must complete a form detailing why funds are needed. Access the Emergency Funding Request here.

The Department of Education requires colleges that participate in federal student aid programs to provide certain information to current and prospective students and employees.  

This is information about financial aid, the school’s campus, facilities, student athletes, and gainful employment programs; as well as campus security and fire safety, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, and programs about them.

All required consumer information can be found online on the Parkland College consumer information webpage.