Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB2927
Illinois General Assembly

Previous General Assemblies

Full Text of SB2927  100th General Assembly

SB2927enr 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  
  

 


 
SB2927 EnrolledLRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Legislative intent. It is the intent of this Act
5to increase enrollment at public 4-year universities in this
6State by providing those universities with the option for
7additional funding through a new, merit-based and means-tested
8matching scholarship for Illinois students. It is also the
9intent of this Act that any public university participating in
10this program should, in its best efforts, attempt to delegate
11scholarship funds amongst a racially diverse range of students
12and not use a student's race, color, religion, sex (including
13gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy), national
14origin, age, disability, or genetic information to disqualify
15him or her from receiving funds under the program.
 
16    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
17amended by changing Section 10 and adding Section 65.100 as
18follows:
 
19    (110 ILCS 947/10)
20    Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, and except to the extent
21that any of the following words or phrases is specifically
22qualified by its context:

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 2 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
2Commission created by this Act.
3    "Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance of an
4individual's status as a student in an institution of higher
5learning, regardless of the terms used at the institution to
6describe that status.
7    "Approved high school" means any public high school located
8in this State; and any high school, located in this State or
9elsewhere (whether designated as a high school, secondary
10school, academy, preparatory school, or otherwise) which in the
11judgment of the State Superintendent of Education provides a
12course of instruction at the secondary level and maintains
13standards of instruction substantially equivalent to those of
14the public high schools located in this State.
15    "Institution of higher learning", "qualified institution",
16or "institution" means an educational organization located in
17this State which
18        (1) provides at least an organized 2 year program of
19    collegiate grade in the liberal arts or sciences, or both,
20    directly applicable toward the attainment of a
21    baccalaureate degree or a program in health education
22    directly applicable toward the attainment of a
23    certificate, diploma, or an associate degree;
24        (2) either is
25            (A) operated by this State, or
26            (B) operated publicly or privately, not for

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 3 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1        profit, or
2            (C) operated for profit, provided such for profit
3        organization
4                (i) offers degree programs which have been
5            approved by the Board of Higher Education for a
6            minimum of 3 years under the Academic Degree Act,
7            and
8                (ii) enrolls a majority of its students in such
9            degree programs, and
10                (iii) maintains an accredited status with the
11            Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of
12            the North Central Association of Colleges and
13            Schools;
14        (3) in the judgment of the Commission meets standards
15    substantially equivalent to those of comparable
16    institutions operated by this State; and
17        (4) if so required by the Commission, uses the State as
18    its primary guarantor of student loans made under the
19    federal Higher Education Act of 1965.
20For otherwise eligible educational organizations which provide
21academic programs for incarcerated students, the terms
22"institution of higher learning", "qualified institutions",
23and "institution" shall specifically exclude academic programs
24for incarcerated students.
25    "Academic Year" means a 12 month period of time, normally
26but not exclusively, from September 1 of any year through

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 4 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1August 31 of the ensuing year.
2    "Full-time student" means any undergraduate student
3enrolled in 12 or more semester or quarter hours of credit
4courses in any given semester or quarter or in the equivalent
5number of units of registration as determined by the
6Commission.
7    "Part-time student" means any undergraduate student, other
8than a full-time student, enrolled in 6 or more semester or
9quarter hours of credit courses in any given semester or
10quarter or in the equivalent number of units of registration as
11determined by the Commission. Beginning with fiscal year 1999,
12the Commission may, on a program by program basis, expand this
13definition of "part-time student" to include students who
14enroll in less than 6 semester or quarter hours of credit
15courses in any given semester or quarter.
16    "Public university" means any public 4-year university in
17this State.
18    "Public university campus" means any campus under the
19governance or supervision of a public university.
20(Source: P.A. 90-122, eff. 7-17-97; 91-250, eff. 7-22-99.)
 
21    (110 ILCS 947/65.100 new)
22    Sec. 65.100. AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program.
23    (a) The General Assembly makes all of the following
24findings:
25        (1) Both access and affordability are important

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 5 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1    aspects of the Illinois Public Agenda for College and
2    Career Success report.
3        (2) This State is in the top quartile with respect to
4    the percentage of family income needed to pay for college.
5        (3) Research suggests that as loan amounts increase,
6    rather than an increase in grant amounts, the probability
7    of college attendance decreases.
8        (4) There is further research indicating that
9    socioeconomic status may affect the willingness of
10    students to use loans to attend college.
11        (5) Strategic use of tuition discounting can decrease
12    the amount of loans that students must use to pay for
13    tuition.
14        (6) A modest, individually tailored tuition discount
15    can make the difference in a student choosing to attend
16    college and enhance college access for low-income and
17    middle-income families.
18        (7) Even if the federally calculated financial need for
19    college attendance is met, the federally determined
20    Expected Family Contribution can still be a daunting
21    amount.
22        (8) This State is the second largest exporter of
23    students in the country.
24        (9) When talented Illinois students attend
25    universities in this State, the State and those
26    universities benefit.

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 6 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1        (10) State universities in other states have adopted
2    pricing and incentives that allow many Illinois residents
3    to pay less to attend an out-of-state university than to
4    remain in this State for college.
5        (11) Supporting Illinois student attendance at
6    Illinois public universities can assist in State efforts to
7    maintain and educate a highly trained workforce.
8        (12) Modest tuition discounts that are individually
9    targeted and tailored can result in enhanced revenue for
10    public universities.
11        (13) By increasing a public university's capacity to
12    strategically use tuition discounting, the public
13    university will be capable of creating enhanced tuition
14    revenue by increasing enrollment yields.
15    (b) In this Section:
16    "Eligible applicant" means a student from any high school
17in this State, whether or not recognized by the State Board of
18Education, who is engaged in a program of study that in due
19course will be completed by the end of the school year and who
20meets all of the qualifications and requirements under this
21Section.
22    "Tuition and other necessary fees" includes the customary
23charge for instruction and use of facilities in general and the
24additional fixed fees charged for specified purposes that are
25required generally of non-grant recipients for each academic
26period for which the grant applicant actually enrolls, but does

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 7 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1not include fees payable only once or breakage fees and other
2contingent deposits that are refundable in whole or in part.
3The Commission may adopt, by rule not inconsistent with this
4Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
5tuition and other necessary fees.
6    (c) Beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, each public
7university may establish a merit-based scholarship pilot
8program known as the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program. Each year,
9the Commission shall receive and consider applications from
10public universities under this Section. Subject to
11appropriation and any tuition waiver limitation established by
12the Board of Higher Education, a public university campus may
13award a grant to a student under this Section if it finds that
14the applicant meets all of the following criteria:
15        (1) He or she is a resident of this State and a citizen
16    or eligible noncitizen of the United States.
17        (2) He or she files a Free Application for Federal
18    Student Aid and demonstrates financial need with a
19    household income no greater than 6 times the poverty
20    guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by
21    the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the
22    authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).
23        (3) He or she meets the minimum cumulative grade point
24    average or ACT or SAT college admissions test score, as
25    determined by the public university campus.
26        (4) He or she is enrolled in a public university as an

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 8 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1    undergraduate student on a full-time basis.
2        (5) He or she has not yet received a baccalaureate
3    degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours.
4        (6) He or she is not incarcerated.
5        (7) He or she is not in default on any student loan or
6    does not owe a refund or repayment on any State or federal
7    grant or scholarship.
8        (8) Any other reasonable criteria, as determined by the
9    public university campus.
10    (d) Each public university campus shall determine grant
11renewal criteria consistent with the requirements under this
12Section.
13    (e) Each participating public university campus shall post
14on its Internet website criteria and eligibility requirements
15for receiving awards that use funds under this Section that
16includes a range in the sizes of these individual awards. The
17criteria and amounts must also be reported to the Commission
18and the Board of Higher Education, who shall post the
19information on their respective Internet websites.
20    (f) After enactment of an appropriation for this Program,
21the Commission shall determine an allocation of funds to each
22public university in an amount proportionate to the number of
23undergraduate students who are residents of this State and
24citizens or eligible noncitizens of the United States and who
25were enrolled at each public university campus in the previous
26academic year. All applications must be made to the Commission

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 9 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1on or before a date determined by the Commission and on forms
2that the Commission shall provide to each public university
3campus. The form of the application and the information
4required shall be determined by the Commission and shall
5include, without limitation, the total public university
6campus funds used to match funds received from the Commission
7in the previous academic year under this Section, if any, the
8total enrollment of undergraduate students who are residents of
9this State from the previous academic year, and any supporting
10documents as the Commission deems necessary. Each public
11university campus shall match the amount of funds received by
12the Commission with financial aid for eligible students.
13    A public university campus is not required to claim its
14entire allocation. The Commission shall make available to all
15public universities, on a date determined by the Commission,
16any unclaimed funds and the funds must be made available to
17those public university campuses in the proportion determined
18under this subsection (f), excluding from the calculation those
19public university campuses not claiming their full
20allocations.
21    Each public university campus may determine the award
22amounts for eligible students on an individual or broad basis,
23but, subject to renewal eligibility, each renewed award may not
24be less than the amount awarded to the eligible student in his
25or her first year attending the public university campus.
26Notwithstanding this limitation, a renewal grant may be reduced

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 10 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1due to changes in the student's cost of attendance, including,
2but not limited to, if a student reduces the number of credit
3hours in which he or she is enrolled, but remains a full-time
4student, or switches to a course of study with a lower tuition
5rate.
6    An eligible applicant awarded grant assistance under this
7Section is eligible to receive other financial aid. Total grant
8aid to the student from all sources may not exceed the total
9cost of attendance at the public university campus.
10    (g) All money allocated to a public university campus under
11this Section may be used only for financial aid purposes for
12students attending the public university campus during the
13academic year, not including summer terms. Any funds received
14by a public university campus under this Section that are not
15granted to students in the academic year for which the funds
16are received must be refunded to the Commission before any new
17funds are received by the public university campus for the next
18academic year.
19    (h) Each public university campus that establishes a
20Program under this Section must annually report to the
21Commission, on or before a date determined by the Commission,
22the number of undergraduate students enrolled at that campus
23who are residents of this State.
24    (i) Each public university campus must report to the
25Commission the total non-loan financial aid amount given by the
26public university campus to undergraduate students in fiscal

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 11 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1year 2018. To be eligible to receive funds under the Program, a
2public university campus may not decrease the total amount of
3non-loan financial aid for undergraduate students to an amount
4lower than the total non-loan financial aid amount given by the
5public university campus to undergraduate students in fiscal
6year 2018, not including any funds received from the Commission
7under this Section or any funds used to match grant awards
8under this Section.
9    (j) On or before a date determined by the Commission, each
10public university campus that participates in the Program under
11this Section shall annually submit a report to the Commission
12with all of the following information:
13        (1) The Program's impact on tuition revenue and
14    enrollment goals and increase in access and affordability
15    at the public university campus.
16        (2) Total funds received by the public university
17    campus under the Program.
18        (3) Total non-loan financial aid awarded to
19    undergraduate students attending the public university
20    campus.
21        (4) Total amount of funds matched by the public
22    university campus.
23        (5) Total amount of funds refunded to the Commission by
24    the public university campus.
25        (6) The percentage of total financial aid distributed
26    under the Program by the public university campus.

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 12 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1        (7) The total number of students receiving grants from
2    the public university campus under the Program and those
3    students' grade level, race, gender, income level, family
4    size, Monetary Award Program eligibility, Pell Grant
5    eligibility, and zip code of residence and the amount of
6    each grant award. This information shall include unit
7    record data on those students regarding variables
8    associated with the parameters of the public university's
9    Program, including, but not limited to, a student's ACT or
10    SAT college admissions test score, high school or
11    university cumulative grade point average, or program of
12    study.
13    On or before October 1, 2020 and annually on or before
14October 1 thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report with
15the findings under this subsection (j) and any other
16information regarding the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program to (i)
17the Governor, (ii) the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
18(iii) the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, (iv)
19the President of the Senate, and (v) the Minority Leader of the
20Senate. The reports to the General Assembly shall be filed with
21the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of
22the Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the
23Clerk and the Secretary shall direct. The Commission's report
24may not disaggregate data to a level that may disclose
25personally identifying information of individual students.
26    The sharing and reporting of student data under this

 

 

SB2927 Enrolled- 13 -LRB100 18942 AXK 34192 b

1subsection (j) must be in accordance with the requirements
2under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
31974 and the Illinois School Student Records Act. All parties
4must preserve the confidentiality of the information as
5required by law. The names of the grant recipients under this
6Section are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of
7Information Act.
8    Public university campuses that fail to submit a report
9under this subsection (j) or that fail to adhere to any other
10requirements under this Section may not be eligible for
11distribution of funds under the Program for the next academic
12year, but may be eligible for distribution of funds for each
13academic year thereafter.
14    (k) The Commission shall adopt rules to implement this
15Section.
16    (l) This Section is repealed on October 1, 2024.
 
17    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
18becoming law.