a) A qualified applicant shall be:

1. 1) a United States citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
2. 2) a resident of Illinois;

3. 3) a high school graduate, its equivalent, or a student scheduled to graduate from high school by the end of the secondary school year in which the award is made, who:

   1. A) graduated or will graduate in the top ten percent of his/her graduating class; or
   2. B) received a General Educational Development (GED) test score recognized by the General Educational Development Testing Service as the equivalent to ranking in the top ten percent of the United States high school graduates; and

4. 4) enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, as an undergraduate or graduate student seeking initial certification in a Teacher Education Program.

   1. A) The applicant must:

      1. i) be enrolled or accepted for enrollment on a full-time basis;
      2. ii) be enrolled in the last academic term before graduation or engaged in student teaching if enrolled less than full-time; and
      3. iii) maintain satisfactory progress toward a degree, or, if the student already has a degree, toward teacher certification, in accordance with the institution's satisfactory academic progress policy.
   2. B) Enrollment must be in a postsecondary institution that is approved by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in federal student assistance programs. (See, e.g., 34 CFR 600.10, 600.20, 668.12.)