|
Monetary Award Program (MAP)
Illinois Veteran’s Grant (IVG) Program and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant
Deadline and Instructions to Submit the Budget Packet
Monetary Award Program (MAP)
Q. How is tuition defined for purposes of the MAP Budget Packet?
A. Tuition is the charge for 16 credit hours of instruction assessed by an institution to full-time undergraduate students.
Q. What is the definition of mandatory fees?
A. Mandatory fees for the MAP grant are defined as charges assessed by an institution to each and every full-time undergraduate student for each term. Application, graduation, laboratory, breakage, add/drop fees, and program administrative fees for out-of-state or foreign study are specifically excluded as mandatory fees for purposes of the MAP grant (ISAC Rules, Sections 2700.20 and 2735.30).
Q. How is the information in the MAP Budget Packet used at ISAC?
A. Tuition and mandatory fee information is gathered by ISAC through the annual Budget Packet process by June 1st for the upcoming academic year (i.e., June 1, 2007 for the 2007-08 academic year). Historically, during the MAP recompute process which is typically in the summer of each year, any changes to the formula, as well as adjustments to the institution’s tuition and mandatory fee figures, may be incorporated depending on the final appropriation for the program. Gathering this data on or before June 1st [ISAC Rules, Section 2700.30 (e)] allows it to be used in the MAP recompute formula, once approved by the Commission. (For the 2007-08 academic year, the MAP start-up formula is using the 2003-04 reported tuition and fees.)
The reported tuition and fee information, as well as additional requested information such as term start dates, may be used by other ISAC programs. The term dates also allow for ISAC to better manage the MAP and IIA payment processes by assisting schools to adhere to the rule which permits schools to submit payment requests beginning 10 days prior to the start of classes for each term, but not earlier [ISAC Rule, 2735.40(l)]. The dates also provide the data needed by ISAC to assist institutions with the year-end return refund process, as well as helping institutions to identify the date by which an independent student must have resided in Illinois in order to receive a MAP grant (ISAC Rules, 2700.20). The room and board charges are used for statistical purposes only.
Q. Do I report mandatory fees by term or for the full academic year?
A. Fees are reported by term AND for the full year. There is a chart on page 2 (see sample below) of the Budget Packet that asks you to provide the type of fee by term and for the full year. You simply multiply the per term amount by the numbers of terms at your school (i.e., semester schools would multiply the term amount by 2, quarter schools by 3) to derive the full year amount. Report the highest tuition and fee rate that you would claim for MAP payment purposes.
Reported Mandatory Fee(s)
| TYPE OF FEE |
PER TERM
Based on 16 hours |
Multiply by
# of terms |
FULL YEAR
(16 hours per term) |
| ACTIVITY |
$10.00 |
2 (semester) |
$20.00 |
| ACTIVITY |
$10.00 |
3 (quarter) |
$30.00 |
The chart at the bottom of page 2 within the Budget Packet asks for the total tuition and mandatory fees for a full-time undergraduate student based on 16 credit hours per term. Again, per term and full year figures are needed to complete the chart.
Q. Is there a required Community College Credit Hour Table Addendum this year?
A. No. Each postsecondary institution, including Community Colleges, reports a 2007-08 regular school year budget based on 16 credit hours per term. Report the highest tuition and fee rate that you would claim for MAP payment purposes.
Illinois Veteran’s Grant (IVG) Program and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant
Q. What is the definition of the academic year for the IVG program?
A. An academic year is typically a twelve-month period of time. For purposes of the IVG program, the academic year begins with the summer term and ends with the spring term (i.e., Summer 2007 will be the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year).
Q. What is the definition of the academic year for the ING Grant program?
A. For purposes of the ING Grant program, the academic year follows the more traditional definition – a twelve-month period of time normally from August or September of any year through August or September of the ensuing year.
Q. What IVG and ING fees are reported within the Budget Packet?
A. Fees paid by either the IVG or the ING Grant differs by program. Refer to ISAC Rules, Section 2733.30 to verify which fees the IVG program covers and refer to ISAC Rules, Section 2730.30 to verify which fees the ING Grant covers. Schools are responsible for claiming only the fees that are allowed by either program.
Q. How are Rate Code(s) designated for the IVG Program?
A. One Rate Code for each term is assigned by ISAC. Each IVG Tuition Code consists of a combination of an alpha and numeric character using the last digit of the academic year as the numeric character.
A different Rate Code for each term is used each academic year to help colleges distinguish and track records between the academic years and, if necessary, assist with the Court of Claims process.
Q. What if I don’t remember the Rate Code(s) for the IVG Program for previous years and I want to refer to it?
A. A School Master List, which details an institution’s Rate Code(s), is sent with each IVG Edit and Update Roster. You should have a copy of this document at the school. If you cannot find a copy of the School Master List you can contact School Services at 866.247.2172 or at schoolservices@isac.org for the information.
Deadlines and Instructions to Submit the Budget Packet
Q. How is budget information submitted to ISAC?
A. ISAC makes available two types of budget packets (MAP only and & Gift Assistance), based on program participation. Each budget packet is available in both Portable Document Format (PDF) and Microsoft Word format, for the user's convenience. Access the documents and instructions for using each in the Gift Assistance Budget Packet or MAP Budget Packet areas within this section.
Q. What must be submitted with the Budget Packet from each school
A. Each school must submit a copy of the institution’s tuition refund policy [ISAC Rules, Section 2700.30 (d)]. Postsecondary institutions that participate in gift assistance programs must provide this annual documentation to ISAC. Be sure this information is clearly identified with the institution’s name and MAP school code.
In addition to the refund policy, a copy of the tuition and fee schedule must be included.
Q. When is the Budget Packet due to ISAC and how can it be submitted
A. Tuition and fee information is due to ISAC on or before June 1st for the upcoming academic year [ISAC Rules, Section 2700.30 (e)]. The Budget Packet should be submitted as quickly as possible after it is available, to insure timely submission. The following may be used as a guideline for submission. If the Budget Packet is submitted via:
- E-mail, the date of the e-mail message must be on or before June 1st; or
- Fax, the date of the fax transmission must be on or before June 1st; or
- Posted mail, the postmark date on the envelope must be on or before May 31st. Mail with a postmark of June 2nd would be considered late and you would not be in compliance with ISAC Rules.
Q. What if my school will not finalize tuition and fee charges by June 1st?
A. Per ISAC Rules, Section 2700.30 (e), any tuition and/or mandatory fee increases reported after June 1st would not be utilized in the calculation of gift assistance benefits. The rules do not specify, but it is normally assumed, that such increases in tuition and/or fees would have been approved by the institution’s governing board prior to the submission of this data to ISAC as part of the annual Budget Packet.
If this is not the case, the Budget Packet should be completed with anticipated tuition and/or fee amounts. A written explanation stating that the institution’s governing board has not finalized budget figures must be attached and signed by the Financial Aid Director. If the tuition and fee increases (including Out-of-District rates) are not adopted at the amounts reported in the Budget Packet submitted by June 1st, the Financial Aid Director must immediately contact ISAC (School Services Department) with accurate figures no later than August 1.
Q. If the Budget Packet is submitted via e-mail to ISAC, is the signature of the Financial Aid Director still required?
A. No. As long as the Budget Packet is submitted via e-mail to ISAC from the Financial Aid Director, ISAC will make the assumption that the director is certifying that all information contained within that packet is accurate and correct for the corresponding academic year.
Back to Top
|
