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At a funding level of $339 million
last year, the Monetary Award Program grants, administered by the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission, helped about 149,000
Illinois students pursue a postsecondary education. This year, with
at least $347 million for the financial aid program, the grants
awarded will be larger, covering more of the tuition and fee
charges, which have continued to rise dramatically over the last few
years. "Even though state leaders have protected the Monetary
Award Program from funding cuts in recent years, despite the state's
poor economic condition, we have reached the critical stage of
ensuring that MAP grants are at sufficient level to truly help
low-income students afford a college education," stated Larry E.
Matejka, executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission.
Since 2003, each MAP grant has gotten smaller, due to stagnant
funding, while college costs have climbed significantly. In 2002,
the maximum MAP grant covered all the average tuition at Illinois
public universities, but this year's maximum MAP grant covered only
65 percent of the cost of tuition and fees, and in some cases the
coverage dropped to 45 percent. MAP students, due to their limited
family resources, have generally paid the remaining charges by
borrowing more student loans, working more hours while attending
school or reducing the number of classes in which they are enrolled,
even leaving school altogether because they could not afford the
costs.
"For the first time in 10 years, ISAC is actually seeing fewer
applications for MAP grants," Matejka explained. "Family incomes
haven't significantly improved, and we know there are as many high
school graduates this year as in past years, so the drop in
financial aid applications may mean that college is just not
affordable for a lot of families. We must reverse this trend, and
raising MAP grant awards is key to making college affordable."
The added funding for MAP grants will raise the amount awarded to
each eligible student by an average of $161, from $2,863 to $3,024.
Students at public universities will see the largest increase in MAP
grants, with the average award moving from $3,533 to $3,964. These
students will still need to cover the remaining tuition and fees,
now averaging $7,100 at public universities, but this year marks the
first increase in MAP grants after three years of continuous cuts.
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 MAP grants are awarded by the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, the state's centralized agency for administering and
promoting student financial aid programs. In addition to MAP grants,
the agency provides 15 other scholarship and grant programs, as well
as educational loans for students and parents. All program
administration and outreach activities focused on helping Illinois
students and families are supported by ISAC's student loan programs.
For more information, individuals should contact the commission
toll-free at (800) 899-ISAC [4722] or visit the comprehensive
college planning website,
CollegeZone.com.
College Zone counselors and materials are available in Spanish.
About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the state's
centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping
students and families access postsecondary education and training.
Each year, the commission awards an estimated $400 million in
scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students and
also provides an additional $1 billion to borrowers through its
student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative
loans through the nonprofit student loan secondary market offered by
the Illinois Designated Account Purchase Program, through a 529
prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois, and with a broad
array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families
have access to the information they need to pay for a college
education.
More information is available by calling toll-free (800) 899-ISAC
[4722], visiting
www.collegezone.com, or contacting the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, 500 W. Monroe, 3rd Floor, Springfield, IL
62704
[Illinois
Student Assistance Commission news release]
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