To meet student status, an 18 year old must be going full-time to a high school or vocational school approved by the Illinois Office of Education. Full-time attendance is:
- High school--25 clock hours per week. For a special education program designed to prepare the student for gainful employment, accept the school's definition of full-time status.
- Vocational or technical school--30 clock hours per week when the program has shop practice, or 25 clock hours per week when the program does not have shop.
An 18 year old may also be attending a residential program that provides a regular curriculum of instruction equivalent to that which leads to a high school diploma. Regular GED classes and home-schooling do not qualify as full-time high school attendance.
A child who has been in school and plans to return to school is called a full-time student during:
- summer vacation, and
- a short illness (no longer than 3 months).