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10/20/2009
On October 18, 2009, Governor Quinn signed
Senate Bill 1180, now Public Act 96-792. Passed by the General Assembly on Thursday, the bill appropriates an additional $205 million to ISAC for the current fiscal year, to restore funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) for the remainder of the 2009-10 academic year. The additional funding will allow full-year awards for nearly 138,000 Illinois college students whose initial 2009-10 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was received by the federal processor on or before May 14, 2009. Eligibility announcements for students whose FAFSA was received after that date remain in a suspended status.
The passage of the bill coincided with a visit to Springfield by more than 2,500 college students and supporters from around the state, who rallied for restoration of MAP, and visited legislators to emphasize the potential consequences of financial aid cuts.
Our sincere thanks to those of you who lent your voices and were involved in rallying activities. Most of all, thank you for your unflagging support as the Save Illinois MAP Grants campaign moved forward. Tens of thousands of Illinois college students are now one step closer to achieving their education goals as a result of your dedicated efforts. The saveillinoismapgrants.org Web site will remain operational as a resource for students to write "thank you" letters to state leaders and encourage continued discussion about future funding for MAP and other financial aid programs.
Administrators in the financial aid offices at Illinois colleges are working diligently with ISAC to make available the most current and up-to-date information about the status of MAP grants. Be sure to regularly visit the Student Zone's MAP page at collegezone.com, ISAC's Web site, for status updates about MAP awards. If you have questions, feel free to contact an ISAC College Zone Counselor.
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