← Back to State vs State

Delaware vs Illinois: Scholarship Climate 2026

Which climate fits best? Delaware may suit applicants who prefer a smaller scholarship landscape with a higher average award size among listed opportunities. Illinois may fit applicants who want a much larger volume of opportunities and access to several especially active institutions, even though the average listed award is lower.

State vs State

State A

Delaware

State B

Illinois

Quick comparison

MetricDelawareIllinois
Active scholarships in catalog54272
Avg. award (where known)$2,243$1,958
Max indexed award$7,500$18,574

Financial Aid Overview for 2026

Delaware and Illinois present very different scholarship climates for applicants in 2026. Delaware shows 56 listed scholarship opportunities with an average award size of 2,410.42 and a maximum listed award of 10500. Illinois shows a much larger pool with 280 listed scholarship opportunities, an average award size of 1,936.81, and a maximum listed award of 18574.

From a volume perspective, Illinois is the broader market, giving applicants more total opportunities to search across. From an average-award perspective, Delaware is stronger based on the listed data. For institutions and organizations with the most visible scholarship activity in the dataset, Delaware is led by Delaware FFA Association with 3 grants, followed by Autism Delaware, Delaware Athletic Trainers' Association, Delaware Department of Education, and Delaware School Nutrition Association with 1 each. Illinois is led by Loyola University Chicago with 611 grants, followed by Waubonsee Community College with 156, Kankakee Community College Foundation with 122, Harper College Educational Foundation with 21, and American Institute of Steel Construction with 5.

For applicants comparing the two states, the practical tradeoff is breadth versus average award size. Illinois offers a deeper opportunity pool and several highly active institutions, while Delaware appears more compact but with a higher average listed scholarship amount.

Top Scholarship Providers in Delaware

Ranked by number of active scholarships

View all scholarships

Top Scholarship Providers in Illinois

Ranked by number of active scholarships

View all scholarships

Match workspace

Find scholarships that fit your profile

Find My Scholarships

Scholarship climate by state

Delaware

Delaware feels smaller and more targeted for applicants: fewer total listed scholarships, but a higher average award size among the opportunities shown.

Illinois

Illinois feels broader and more competitive: many more listed scholarships and several very active institutions, but a lower average award size among the opportunities shown.

Public reference data

Cost of living & wages

State-level affordability context to complement scholarship climate above - not ScholarshipTop grant totals.

Visual comparison

Delaware

Median household income

$83,876

Census ACS

Fair market rent (2BR)

$1,434

HUD monthly estimate

Living wage

23.40/hr

Single adult, MIT model

BLS median wage

$52,190

State occupational estimate

Reported violent crime rate (state aggregate): 33.23 per 100k population. Public safety context is based on aggregate state-level public data - not a safety rating.

Public planning context

Community indicators vary by county and are included only as public planning context. Use this alongside scholarship amount, school cost, and living expenses - not as an eligibility rule.

CDC SVI band

middle indicator band

ADI band

middle indicator band

SVI counties

3

ADI counties

3

  • CDC SVI county data is available for 3 counties; county indicators vary and are best used as public planning context.
  • ADI block-group data is available across 3 counties; local conditions can vary within the same state.

Illinois

Median household income

$83,872

Census ACS

Fair market rent (2BR)

$1,002

HUD monthly estimate

Living wage

21.12/hr

Single adult, MIT model

BLS median wage

$51,960

State occupational estimate

Reported violent crime rate (state aggregate): 32.18 per 100k population. Public safety context is based on aggregate state-level public data - not a safety rating.

Public planning context

Community indicators vary by county and are included only as public planning context. Use this alongside scholarship amount, school cost, and living expenses - not as an eligibility rule.

CDC SVI band

middle indicator band

ADI band

middle indicator band

SVI counties

102

ADI counties

102

  • CDC SVI county data is available for 102 counties; county indicators vary and are best used as public planning context.
  • ADI block-group data is available across 102 counties; local conditions can vary within the same state.

Sources: Census ACS, HUD FMR, MIT Living Wage, BLS OEWS, and public reference datasets where available. Rent figures may reflect metro or state averages.

Public safety context uses aggregate public data and is included only as planning context.

Reference only - not ScholarshipTop eligibility rules or guarantees.

Data availability varies by school, city, state, and source year.

FAQ

Which state has more scholarship opportunities in 2026?
Illinois has more listed scholarship opportunities in the dataset, with 280 compared with Delaware's 56.
Which state has the higher average scholarship award?
Delaware has the higher average listed award size at 2410.4166666666665, compared with 1936.8087649402391 in Illinois.
Which state has the higher maximum listed scholarship amount?
Illinois has the higher maximum listed scholarship amount at 18574, while Delaware's maximum listed amount is 10500.
What are the strongest institutions or organizations in each state?
In Delaware, the most active listed organization is Delaware FFA Association with 3 grants. In Illinois, Loyola University Chicago stands out most strongly with 611 grants, followed by Waubonsee Community College and Kankakee Community College Foundation.

Sources and official pages

Official and high-authority pages used to support this State vs State comparison.

More guides around this State vs State comparison

Internal reading paths around scholarship search, application strategy, and essay preparation for students comparing Delaware and Illinois.

Related scholarship articles

Related essay guides