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1 | AN ACT concerning higher education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 35 as follows:
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6 | (110 ILCS 947/35)
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7 | Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
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8 | (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | applications
for grant assistance under this Section. Subject | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | eligible for a grant under
this Section when the Commission | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | finds that the applicant:
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13 | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | permanent resident
of the United States; and
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15 | (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | deterred by
financial considerations from completing an | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | educational program at the
qualified institution of his or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | her choice.
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19 | (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | the applicant:
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22 | (1) has remained a student in good standing;
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23 | (2) remains a resident of this State; and
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24 | (3) is in a financial situation that continues to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | warrant assistance.
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26 | (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | necessary fee costs
for 2 semesters or 3 quarters and a summer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | term in an academic year. Requests for summer term
assistance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | will be made separately and shall be considered on an | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | individual
basis according to Commission policy. Each student | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | who is
awarded a
grant under this Section and is enrolled in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | summer school classes shall be
eligible for a summer school |
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1 | grant. The summer school grant amount shall not
exceed the | ||||||
2 | lesser of 50 percent of the maximum annual grant amount | ||||||
3 | authorized
by this Section or the actual cost of tuition and | ||||||
4 | fees at the institution at
which the student is enrolled at | ||||||
5 | least part-time. For the
regular academic
year, the Commission | ||||||
6 | shall determine the grant
amount for each full-time and | ||||||
7 | part-time student, which shall be the smallest of
the following | ||||||
8 | amounts:
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9 | (1) $4,968 for 2 semesters or 3 quarters and a summer | ||||||
10 | term (if applicable) of full-time
undergraduate enrollment | ||||||
11 | or $2,484 for 2 semesters or 3
quarters and a summer term | ||||||
12 | (if applicable) of part-time undergraduate enrollment, or | ||||||
13 | such lesser amount as
the Commission finds to be available; | ||||||
14 | or
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15 | (2) the amount which equals the 2 semesters or 3 | ||||||
16 | quarters and a summer term (if applicable) tuition
and | ||||||
17 | other necessary fees required generally by the institution | ||||||
18 | of all
full-time undergraduate students, or in the case of | ||||||
19 | part-time students
an amount of tuition and fees for 2 | ||||||
20 | semesters or 3 quarters and a summer term (if applicable) | ||||||
21 | which shall
not exceed one-half the amount of tuition and | ||||||
22 | necessary fees generally
charged to full-time | ||||||
23 | undergraduate students by the institution; or
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24 | (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be | ||||||
25 | appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial | ||||||
26 | resources.
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27 | "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section | ||||||
28 | include the
customary charge for instruction and use of | ||||||
29 | facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged | ||||||
30 | for specified purposes, which are required
generally of | ||||||
31 | nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the | ||||||
32 | grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees | ||||||
33 | payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent | ||||||
34 | deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part. The | ||||||
35 | Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
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36 | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of |
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1 | tuition and other
necessary fees.
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2 | (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving | ||||||
3 | scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary | ||||||
4 | award program
consideration under this Act after receiving a | ||||||
5 | baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 10 semesters or 15 | ||||||
6 | quarters and 4 summer terms of award payments. The
Commission | ||||||
7 | shall determine when award payments for part-time enrollment
or | ||||||
8 | interim or summer terms shall be counted as a partial semester | ||||||
9 | or
quarter of payment.
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10 | (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to | ||||||
11 | be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with | ||||||
12 | the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients. The Commission | ||||||
13 | shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is contingent | ||||||
14 | upon the availability of appropriated funds.
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15 | (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit | ||||||
16 | into the
Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies deposited | ||||||
17 | into the Monetary Award
Program Reserve Fund may be expended | ||||||
18 | exclusively for one purpose: to make
Monetary Award Program | ||||||
19 | grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in the
Monetary | ||||||
20 | Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current | ||||||
21 | annual
State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.
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22 | The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is | ||||||
23 | to enable the
Commission each year to assure as many students | ||||||
24 | as possible of their
eligibility for a Monetary Award Program | ||||||
25 | grant and to do so before commencement
of the academic year. | ||||||
26 | Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to
enhance | ||||||
27 | the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program, | ||||||
28 | minimizing
the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of | ||||||
29 | adjusting award amounts and ensuring
that the annual Monetary | ||||||
30 | Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
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31 | (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and | ||||||
32 | make grants to
applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit | ||||||
33 | institutions in accordance with the
criteria set forth in this | ||||||
34 | Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at
such | ||||||
35 | for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:
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36 | (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to |
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1 | eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer | ||||||
2 | students who have attained an associate degree.
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3 | (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to | ||||||
4 | eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have | ||||||
5 | attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a | ||||||
6 | grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and | ||||||
7 | whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
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8 | (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all | ||||||
9 | eligible students.
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10 | (Source: P.A. 91-249, eff. 7-22-99; 91-250, eff. 7-22-99; | ||||||
11 | 91-357, eff.
7-29-99; 91-747, eff. 7-1-00; 92-45, eff. 7-1-01.)
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12 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
13 | becoming law.
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