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Prairie Promise

Meeting 100% of Financial Need for Illinois Students

The Prairie Promise is all about helping Illinois students to attend one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country—right here in their home state.

For Illinois residents, enrolling at Knox for the first time, we promise to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need. To put it simply, we will offer you a financial aid package that is competitive with almost any college or university in the Midwest, public or private.

The Prairie Promise is our commitment to make sure that every student in Illinois, regardless of their personal financial situation, has an opportunity to experience the transformational power of a Knox education.

What does this mean in actual dollars?

Here are two examples:

  • A family of four with an income of $39,000, typical assets, and one child attending Knox could expect a financial aid package of $61,400, leaving a balance due for tuition, fees, room, and board of $2,200 for the year.
  • A family of four with an income of $90,000, typical assets, and one child attending Knox would receive a financial aid package of $50,400, leaving a balance due for tuition, fees, room, and board of $13,200 for the year.

A Historic College, A HIstoric Commitment

At Knox, you join a community with a long-standing history of making college affordable to students of all financial means, and we’re one of the most diverse, vibrant colleges in the country:

  • 20 percent of our students are the first in their family to attend college.
  • Nearly 30% are students from underrepresented backgrounds.
  • Almost more than 20% come from overseas.

You’ve worked hard to attend a highly ranked college. When you choose Knox you will attend a college recognized as:

  • A Best Value by US News
  • A top 50 College by Washington Monthly for 10 years in a row
  • One of America’s Colleges That Change Lives

Knox offers you extraordinary opportunities to pursue your educational passions—our pre-professional programs in business, engineering, law, and health professions, and our traditional liberal arts offerings, such as creative writing, environmental science, journalism, political science, public policy, anthropology and sociology, and so much more. Choose from nearly 100 and minors, or create your own interdisciplinary path.

Apply Today

What are the specific numbers for you and your family? Apply for admission and financial aid and find out!

Apply to Knox Apply for Financial Aid

Prairie Promise FAQ

Illinois residents enrolling at Knox for the first time and citizens of a Native nation indigenous to Illinois, regardless of whether they live in the state, including:

  • Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahom
  • Meskwaki Nation/Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
  • Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
  • Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma
  • Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana
  • The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
  • Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation
  • Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
  • Fort Peck Tribes
  • Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
  • Prairie Island Indian Community
  • Rosebud Sioux Tribe
  • Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
  • Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
  • Yankton Sioux Tribe
  • Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas
  • Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
  • Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas
  • Citizen Potawatomi Nation
  • Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
  • Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi
  • Forest County Potawatomi
  • Prairie Band Potawatomi

Your financial aid award may include federal and state grants, Knox College grants and scholarships, federal student loans, and/or a campus employment award, as well as any outside scholarships that you may receive.

Loans included with your financial aid award will be limited to the Federal Direct Student Loan. We’ll never meet your need by including a parent PLUS loan or private loan in your aid award—that’s our promise.

Yes. Federal and state grants are used to meet the Prairie Promise. They will be part of your financial aid award.

Your Knox merit scholarships will be used to meet the Prairie Promise and will be part of your financial aid award.

Students must complete the financial aid application process and have their financial need determined each year. If your income and assets fluctuate, the amount of your financial aid award may differ based on the information submitted in subsequent years.

Most scholarships that you receive from outside sources will help to reduce the amount you have to pay. Some outside scholarships can only be applied toward the cost of tuition, while others can be used to meet any of your college expenses, such as room, board, books, and other expenses.

If you receive outside scholarships that can only be used for tuition, be aware that the total of these awards, along with any grants and scholarships you receive from Knox, federal, and state sources, cannot typically exceed the cost of tuition. You should definitely apply for as many outside scholarships as possible to reduce your college costs

Yes. The amount of your financial aid award may vary depending on the information submitted on your financial aid application in subsequent years.

First-year students should apply for admission and financial aid by the Early Action deadlines of November 1 or December 1, or by the Regular Decision deadline of January 15.

Illinois residents enrolling at Knox for the first time in Fall 2022 or beyond are eligible for the Prairie Promise. 

Yes. The Prairie Promise is available to first-year and transfer students who are residents of Illinois and will be enrolling at Knox for the first time in Fall 2022 or beyond.