Section 2735.10  Summary and Purpose

 

a)         The Monetary Award Program (MAP) provides direct grant assistance to eligible students.  MAP grants are apportioned among otherwise eligible applicants on the basis of relative financial resources and available funds. Recipients must enroll at approved Illinois institutions in order to use MAP grants.

 

b)         This Part establishes rules which govern the Monetary Award Program. Additional rules and definitions are contained in General Provisions, Part at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700.

 

(Source:  Amended at 22 Ill. Reg. 11149, effective July 1, 1998)

 

Section 2735.20  Applicant Eligibility

 

a)         A qualified applicant shall be:

 

1)         a citizen or eligible noncitizen;

 

2)         a resident of Illinois;

 

3)         maintaining satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution;

 

4)         enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program (34 CFR 668.8), or in an eligible credit-bearing Occupational or Career and Technical Certificate program at an Illinois public institution, for a minimum of three credit hours, for either a semester or quarter term, throughout the institution's tuition refund/withdrawal adjustment period; and

 

5)         enrolled at an ISAC-approved institution of  higher learning.

 

b)         MAP grant eligibility is based on the relative financial eligibility at an ISAC-approved institution of higher learning of the applicant's choice, and is reevaluated if the student's choice of institution changes.

 

c)         Eligibility is restricted to undergraduate students.

 

1)         MAP recipients must not have received a baccalaureate degree.

 

2)         Graduate students are not eligible for MAP assistance.  For purposes of this Part, an institution of higher learning shall classify as a "graduate student" any student who:

 

A)        is enrolled in an academic program or course above the baccalaureate level which leads to any degree above the baccalaureate level; and

 

B)        is not eligible to receive federal financial assistance (34 CFR 674.2, 675.2, 676.2) as an undergraduate student; and

 

C)        has completed the equivalent of at least three years of full-time postsecondary study, either prior to entrance into the academic program or as part of the academic program itself.

 

d)         MAP grants may be awarded for applicants in programs at Illinois public institutions that will culminate in the award of an occupational or career and technical certificate.  [110 ILCS 947/35(h)].

 

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 1038, effective January 5, 2023)

 

Section 2735.30  Program Procedures

 

a)         An application for a MAP grant must be submitted annually.  An applicant uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

 

b)         Applicants, spouses and the parents of applicants are required to submit financial information on the application that will be kept confidential, regarding income, asset value and non-taxable income.

 

c)         Priority Deadline Date for Renewing Applicants

No later than September 30, the Commission will annually publish a priority deadline date for renewing applicants.  In this subsection (c), renewing applicant means a student attending an institution of higher learning who received a MAP grant during the prior academic year. [110 ILCS 947/35]  Subject to appropriation, a renewing applicant who files by the published priority deadline date shall receive a grant if the program's eligibility requirements under this Section continue to be met. A renewing applicant's failure to apply by the priority deadline date would not disqualify an applicant from receiving a grant if sufficient funding is available to provide awards after that date.

 

d)         Awards will be announced concurrently, both for students who had not received a MAP award the previous regular school year and for students who did receive a MAP award during the previous regular school year.  Award announcements will be made concurrently through the date of suspension of award announcements.  (See 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700.20 for definition of a regular school year.)

 

e)         If it becomes necessary to suspend the processing of award announcements in order to remain within appropriated funding levels, the suspension will be applied concurrently to students who had not received a MAP award for the previous regular school year and to students who did receive a MAP award the previous regular school year.

 

f)         Corrections to applications received prior to the final suspension of award announcements will be processed and announced up to 2 months after the final suspension date or until the completion of the processing cycle, whichever comes first.

 

g)         When an application is incomplete, a notice will be sent to the applicant. The applicant then has an opportunity to furnish the missing information; however, depending on processing schedules, the applicant may be considered only for subsequent term awards.

 

h)         Applicants are informed that they are MAP recipients on the basis of application data supplied to ISAC.  ISAC will recalculate awards for those applicants whose applications are not in basic agreement with their financial records, after receipt of corrected data.  All announced MAP recipients are subject to verification.

 

i)          The Commission shall annually establish and publicize guidelines for the release of or increase in MAP awards as additional funds become available.

 

j)          MAP grants are applicable only toward tuition and mandatory fees.  MAP grants may not exceed the:

 

1)         maximum award specified at Section 35(c) of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act [110 ILCS 947]; or

 

2)         institution's tuition and mandatory fee charges on file with ISAC.

 

k)         The maximum MAP grant available to a recipient attending a public community college is limited to the in-district tuition and mandatory fees.  It is the recipient's responsibility to make arrangements to pay the additional costs incurred as an out-of-district student.

 

l)          For each credit hour of MAP benefits paid on behalf of the recipient, the recipient will be assessed one MAP paid credit hour toward the maximum usage.  For each credit hour used, payment will be made to the school on behalf of the recipient in an amount equal to ¹/₁₅ of the student's calculated term award amount, with a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 15 hours paid per term.

 

m)        A recipient may receive the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours of MAP benefits paid.  Eligibility may be extended for one additional term if the recipient has accumulated fewer than 135 MAP paid credit hours but does not have enough credit hours of payment remaining for the number of hours for which the recipient is enrolled for the term.

 

n)         A recipient may use more than 75 MAP paid credit hours while enrolled at the freshman or sophomore level, although doing so may leave the student with insufficient remaining MAP eligibility to apply to all remaining credit hours required for the completion of a baccalaureate degree.

 

o)         The MAP grant shall not pay for academic programs intended to prepare a student for the high school equivalency certificate or for a high school diploma.

 

p)         The MAP grant shall not pay for audit courses, credit-by-examination and/or life experience, graduate-level courses leading to a degree above the baccalaureate level, or noncredit course offerings (except qualifying remedial courses).  Remedial courses shall be eligible for MAP payment provided the student has been accepted into an eligible degree/certificate program and is taking the remedial courses as part of that program.  Payment shall not be made for more than the equivalent of one year of remedial course work (i.e., 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours).

 

q)         The MAP grant may be used by recipient's repeating previously passed courses for the first time. The MAP grant may not be used for courses that a student has previously passed 2 or more times.

 

r)          If a recipient withdraws from enrollment after the expiration of the tuition refund/withdrawal adjustment period, the recipient shall receive MAP grant payment for tuition and mandatory fee costs incurred up to the term award provided the institution's tuition refund policy indicates the recipient has incurred charges in the amount of the claim.

 

s)         MAP paid credit hours are assessed to a recipient whenever MAP funds are disbursed on behalf of the recipient. 

 

t)          MAP grant payment is subject to the limits of dollars appropriated to ISAC by the General Assembly.

 

u)         It is the responsibility of MAP recipients to gain admission to approved Illinois institutions of higher learning.  Illinois institutions of higher learning are not obligated to admit MAP recipients.  The institution is obligated to provide MAP recipients the same facilities and instruction, on the same terms, as are provided to other students.

 

v)         If a recipient's academic program involves out-of-state and/or foreign study, subsection (j) applies and enrollment must be in accordance with the following provisions:

 

1)         The recipient must be enrolled at the ISAC-approved institution of higher learning, and the out-of-state/foreign study must be applicable to the student's degree or certificate program at the student's institution of record.

 

2)         The ISAC-approved institution of higher learning must record the course credits on the official academic transcript as institutionally earned credit and not as transfer credit.

 

3)         An institution shall not request more than 2 semesters/3 quarters of MAP assistance for any one qualified applicant enrolled on a full-time basis, or 4 semesters/6 quarters of MAP for an applicant-enrolled on a half-time basis.

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 14278, effective October 16, 2025)

 

Section 2735.35  Dislocated Workers

 

a)         Dislocated workers, as defined by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 USC 3102), shall receive additional and specific MAP consideration.

 

b)         Dislocated workers must meet all the MAP applicant eligibility requirements established by Section 2735.20.

 

c)         For the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years:

 

1)         A dislocated worker applicant will be considered for MAP assistance, even if the application date is after the suspension of award announcements for the general pool of applicants.

 

2)         In determining the number of grants to be offered, ISAC shall consider the financial resources needed to serve dislocated worker applicants who apply after the suspension of award announcements for the upcoming regular academic year, but prior to the beginning of that academic year.  Dislocated worker applicants shall be considered until estimated financial resources are exhausted, but no later than August 15.

 

(Source:  Amended at 44 Ill. Reg. 11032, effective July 1, 2020)

 

Section 2735.40  Institutional Procedures

 

a)         Recipients must report to the institution all additional gift assistance that applies toward tuition and mandatory fees, such as tuition waivers and scholarships.

 

b)         In order for applicants to receive additional and specific consideration as a dislocated worker, as defined by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the institution shall:

 

1)         Verify that the applicant indicated on the FAFSA is a dislocated worker; and

 

2)         Ensure that the applicant certifies to the institution that the applicant is a dislocated worker as defined by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

 

c)         If a recipient receives other assistance targeted specifically for tuition and fees, the combined assistance shall not exceed the total tuition and fee expenses incurred.

 

d)         If an applicant is eligible for assistance under the Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant Program or the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2730 and 2733), the applicant is not eligible for a full MAP grant because ING and IVG must be factored into the financial aid packaging prior to awarding MAP gift assistance.  The institution may request payment of a partial MAP grant to finance fee expenses not covered by the programs listed in this subsection.

 

e)         If an applicant is eligible to receive tuition or fee benefits through a prepaid or reimbursable tuition plan other than the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2775), or through a payment to the institution by the applicant's employer, the institution of higher learning shall request MAP payment in accordance with this subsection:

 

1)         A prepaid tuition plan is any program that exempts a student from tuition charges because of a payment to the institution at a time prior to the student's enrollment.  A reimbursable tuition plan is a program that reimburses a student for tuition costs after satisfactory completion of course work.

 

2)         The institution shall recalculate the applicant's MAP eligibility by decreasing the applicant's tuition and fee charges by the amount of benefits the applicant is eligible to receive from the sources in subsection (e)(1).  The institution shall report the applicant's reduced grant award on the payment request.

 

f)         The provisions of this Section shall not apply to benefits derived from the Baccalaureate Savings Act [110 ILCS 920] and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2771.

 

g)         Notwithstanding the provisions of other ISAC-administered programs, the total amount of a recipient's gift assistance may not exceed the cost of attendance.  Any excess gift assistance is considered an overaward and the institution of higher learning is required to reduce the MAP award and/or other gift assistance to prevent such an overaward.  For the purposes of this calculation, federal veterans benefits are not counted as gift assistance.

 

h)         The institution shall announce MAP eligibility, including the estimated award amount, using ISAC-provided award notification language.  The institution shall also provide notification to affected recipients of any change in award eligibility that may occur during the academic year.

 

i)          Institutions of higher learning shall submit payment requests to ISAC.

 

j)          For any institution that has concurrent registration opportunities, the following requirements apply:

 

1)         The recipient must indicate the institution of record on the MAP application.

 

2)         The institution of record must secure the MAP payment on behalf of any other institution and distribute the appropriate share of the MAP award to other institutions.  ISAC will not issue MAP payment for one recipient to more than one institution.

 

3)         The amount paid cannot exceed the maximum term award for recipients at the institution of record, or the tuition and mandatory fee costs at the institution of record if the costs are less than the maximum term award.

 

4)         Concurrent registration is limited to ISAC-approved institutions of higher learning.

 

5)         The recipient's academic records at the institution of record must document the total number of credit hours for which the recipient is enrolled.

 

k)         If an Illinois institution operates an out-of-state center, residents of Illinois enrolled in classes at the out-of-state center may receive MAP benefits in accordance with Section 2735.30(v).

 

l)          If an announced recipient's credit hour enrollment decreases before the expiration of the tuition refund/withdrawal adjustment period, the institution shall only request payment up to the tuition and mandatory fee amount based on the number of credit hours enrolled.

 

m)        Upon receipt of a payment request from the institution of record, ISAC remits MAP grant funds to the institution of record on behalf of the recipient.  The institution of record shall credit these funds to the recipient's account.

 

n)         MAP grants are paid directly to the approved institution of record that certifies to ISAC that the applicant is an eligible recipient.

 

1)         ISAC will annually establish priority claim dates for the submission of payment requests and inform schools of the required priority dates.

 

2)         Late payment requests will result in delayed processing of payments. Payment requests are processed in the sequence of receipt by ISAC and as funds are available.

 

3)         Institutions may submit their payment requests beginning 10 days prior to the start of classes for the term for which they are requesting payment.

 

o)         Institutional Processing of Payments

 

1)         Within 30 days after and including the date of receiving payment of any MAP funds claimed or advanced pursuant to this Section, the institution shall credit the MAP funds against the recipients' tuition and mandatory fee charges for the appropriate term in the regular school year.

 

2)         Within 30 days after the end of an academic term during which MAP funds were credited to recipients' tuition and mandatory fee charges, institutions must reconcile data received from ISAC as a result of payment claim processing against the eligibility status throughout that term for each student for whom payment claims were made. In reconciling the data with recipient eligibility, an institution must determine whether:

 

A)        The amount of the claim applied to a recipient's tuition and mandatory fee charges exceeded the amount that the student was eligible to receive for any reason, including as a result of billing errors or retroactive withdrawals;

 

B)        The amount of the claim applied to a recipient's tuition and mandatory fee charges was less than the amount that the student was eligible to receive for any reason, including as a result of billing errors or retroactive withdrawals; or

 

C)        The amount of the claim applied to a recipient's tuition and mandatory fee charges equaled the amount that the student was eligible to receive.

 

3)         Any institution that determines that the amount of a claim applied to a recipient's tuition and mandatory fee charges either exceeded the amount that the recipient was eligible to receive or was less than that amount must submit an accounting of all such adjustments to ISAC within 30 days following the end of the applicable term.

 

4)         For any claims determined to exceed the amount that the recipient was eligible to receive, the amount in excess paid for the claims shall be remitted to ISAC within 45 days after the end of the institution's regular school year unless the payment is received after the end of the regular school year. If the payment of claims are made after the end of the regular school year, the institution shall have 60 days following receipt of the payment to complete reconciliation and remit any funds due to ISAC.  (See 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700.20 for definition of a regular school year.)

 

5)         Award payments made in the name of one recipient cannot be applied to another recipient at the same institution.  A refund of the payment made must be submitted to ISAC, and a supplemental request for payment must be processed for the proper recipient.

 

6)         To provide sufficient time for processing and vouchering through the State Comptroller's Office in Springfield, all payment requests must be received by ISAC no later than July 1.

 

7)         Payment requests received after August 1 for the prior academic year will be processed as time and available funds permit; however, final action may require institutions to go to the Illinois Court of Claims to obtain payment for approved claims.  (See the Court of Claims Act [705 ILCS 505].)

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 14278, effective October 16, 2025)

 

Section 2735.50  Advance Payment Option

 

a)         ISAC-approved institutions of higher learning may request consideration for the advance payment option.  To be eligible, the institution must have received MAP payments for each of the last five academic years, and ISAC must have completed an audit of the institution's performance during that five year period.  Institutions with provisional eligibility shall not receive advance payments.  (See 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700.30(i)(6).)

 

b)         Subject to the availability of funds, payments may be advanced on a term-by-term basis.  If advanced, payments will be made in an amount not to exceed 75 percent of a term's announced recipients, adjusted for attrition as determined by subsection (c)(2).  The formula by which ISAC computes an institution's advance payment is illustrated in Appendix A of this Part.

 

c)         For purposes of computing an institution's advance payment, ISAC uses the lowest retention rate resulting from the following three formulae:

 

1)         Dollar value of the previous fiscal year's claimed awards divided by the dollar value of the previous fiscal year's announced awards;

 

2)         Number of claimed awards for the previous fiscal year divided by the number of awards announced during the previous fiscal year; or

 

3)         Using the formula in subsection (c)(2), compute the retention rate for the previous five fiscal years.  Add the five retention rates and divide by five to produce the five year average retention rate.

 

d)         If an institution receives advance payment pursuant to this Section, the balance of payment due for the current term will be paid to the institution after ISAC receives a payment request.

 

e)         If an advance payment received by an institution exceeds the total grant payments for which that institution's students are eligible, the institution shall submit the appropriate refund to ISAC prior to the end of the academic year.

 

(Source:  Amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 10349, effective July 1, 2003)

 

Section 2735.60  Contractual Agreement Requirements (Repealed)

 

(Source:  Repealed at 22 Ill. Reg. 11149, effective July 1, 1998)

Section 2735.APPENDIX A   Advance Payment Formula

 

a)         The formula abbreviations are as follows:

 

1)         ATA = Announced Term Awards

 

2)         ADV = Average Dollar Value of ATA

 

3)         CT = Current Term

 

4)         DA = Dollars Advanced

 

5)         FY = Fiscal Year

 

6)         PFY = Previous Fiscal Year

 

7)         RR = Retention Rate

 

8)         %AD = Percentage Advanced

 

b)         The advanced payment formula established at Section 2735.50 may be demonstrated as follows:

 

            [(ATA x RR) x %AD] x ADV = DA

 

c)         Sample Award History:

 

Announced Awards	Awards Claimed	RR
FYA:   6,050	3,063	.51
FYB:   5,271	3,214	.61
FYC:   5,001	2,313	.46
FYD:   3,333	1,619	.49
PFY:    3,468	1,285	.37

 

Five year average RR:  .49

 

Total Dollars Announced	Total Dollars Claimed	RR
PFY:    $1,245,568.00	$383,647.50	.31

 

CT ATA:  859

 

CT ADV:  $403.27

 

%AD:  .75

 

d)         Sample Calculation:

 

1)         [(859 x .31) x .75] x 403.27 = DA

 

2)         (266.29 x .75) x 403.27 =

 

3)         199.718 x 403.27 =

 

4)         DA = $80,540.28

 

(Source:  Amended at 22 Ill. Reg. 11149, effective July 1, 1998)