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90_SB1050
110 ILCS 947/10
110 ILCS 947/35
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act.
Increases the maximum monetary award program grant for
full-time undergraduate students to $4,120 (from $4,000) and
for part-time undergraduate students to $2,060 (from $2,000).
Also includes within the definition of an institution of
higher learning at which monetary award program grants may be
used a for-profit organization that meets specified degree
and accreditation criteria in addition to other requirements
that are applicable to public and private, not-for-profit
institutions. Establishes a priority order to be followed in
making grants, beginning in academic year 1997, to students
at the for-profit organization. Effective July 1, 1997.
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1 AN ACT to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance
2 Act by changing Sections 10 and 35.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
6 is amended by changing Sections 10 and 35 as follows:
7 (110 ILCS 947/10)
8 Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, and except to the
9 extent that any of the following words or phrases is
10 specifically qualified by its context:
11 "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
12 Commission created by this Act.
13 "Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance of
14 an individual's status as a student in an institution of
15 higher learning, regardless of the terms used at the
16 institution to describe that status.
17 "Approved high school" means any public high school
18 located in this State; and any high school, located in this
19 State or elsewhere (whether designated as a high school,
20 secondary school, academy, preparatory school, or otherwise)
21 which in the judgment of the State Superintendent of
22 Education provides a course of instruction at the secondary
23 level and maintains standards of instruction substantially
24 equivalent to those of the public high schools located in
25 this State.
26 "Institution of higher learning", "qualified
27 institution", or "institution" means an educational
28 organization located in this State which
29 (1) provides at least an organized 2 year program
30 of collegiate grade in the liberal arts or sciences, or
31 both, directly applicable toward the attainment of a
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1 baccalaureate degree, or, beginning with academic year
2 1972, a program in health education directly applicable
3 toward the attainment of a certificate, diploma, or an
4 associate degree;,
5 (2) either is
6 (A) operated by this State, or
7 (B) operated publicly or privately, not for
8 profit, or
9 (C) operated for profit, provided such for
10 profit organization
11 (i) offers degree programs which have
12 been approved by the Board of Higher Education
13 for a minimum of 3 years under the Academic
14 Degree Act, and
15 (ii) enrolls a majority of its students
16 in such degree programs, and
17 (iii) maintains an accredited status with
18 the Commission on Institutions of Higher
19 Education of the North Central Association of
20 Colleges and Schools;
21 (3) in the judgment of the Commission meets
22 standards substantially equivalent to those of comparable
23 institutions operated by this State;, and
24 (4) if so required by the Commission, uses the
25 State as its primary guarantor of student loans made
26 under the federal Higher Education Act of 1965.
27 For otherwise eligible educational organizations which
28 provide academic programs for incarcerated students, the
29 terms "institution of higher learning", "qualified
30 institutions", and "institution" shall specifically exclude
31 academic programs for incarcerated students.
32 "Academic Year" means a 12 month period of time, normally
33 but not exclusively, from September 1 of any year through
34 August 31 of the ensuing year.
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1 "Full-time student" means any undergraduate student
2 enrolled in 12 or more semester or quarter hours of credit
3 courses in any given semester or quarter or in the equivalent
4 number of units of registration as determined by the
5 Commission.
6 "Part-time student" means any undergraduate student,
7 other than a full-time student, enrolled in 6 or more
8 semester or quarter hours of credit courses in any given
9 semester or quarter or in the equivalent number of units of
10 registration as determined by the Commission.
11 (Source: P.A. 87-997.)
12 (110 ILCS 947/35)
13 Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
14 (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and
15 consider applications for grant assistance under this
16 Section. Subject to a separate appropriation for such
17 purposes, an applicant is eligible for a grant under this
18 Section when the Commission finds that the applicant:
19 (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
20 permanent resident of the United States; and
21 (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be
22 deterred by financial considerations from completing an
23 educational program at the qualified institution of his
24 or her choice.
25 (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the
26 student's application and upon the Commission's finding that
27 the applicant:
28 (1) has remained a student in good standing;
29 (2) remains a resident of this State; and
30 (3) is in a financial situation that continues to
31 warrant assistance.
32 (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and
33 necessary fee costs for 2 semesters or 3 quarters in an
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1 academic year. Requests for summer term assistance will be
2 made separately and shall be considered on an individual
3 basis according to Commission policy. The Commission shall
4 determine the grant amount for each full-time and part-time
5 student, which shall be the smallest of the following
6 amounts:
7 (1) $4,120 $4,000 for 2 semesters or 3 quarters of
8 full-time undergraduate enrollment or $2,060 $2,000 for 2
9 semesters or 3 quarters of part-time undergraduate
10 enrollment, or such lesser amount as the Commission finds
11 to be available; or
12 (2) the amount which equals the 2 semesters or 3
13 quarters tuition and other necessary fees required
14 generally by the institution of all full-time
15 undergraduate students, or in the case of part-time
16 students an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or
17 3 quarters which shall not exceed one-half the amount of
18 tuition and necessary fees generally charged to full-time
19 undergraduate students by the institution; or
20 (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be
21 appropriate in view of the applicant's financial
22 resources.
23 "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section
24 include the customary charge for instruction and use of
25 facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
26 for specified purposes, which are required generally of
27 nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the
28 grant applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees
29 payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent
30 deposits which are refundable in whole or in part. The
31 Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
32 Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
33 tuition and other necessary fees.
34 (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving
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1 scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for
2 monetary award program consideration under this Act after
3 receiving a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 10
4 semesters or 15 quarters of award payments. The Commission
5 shall determine when award payments for part-time enrollment
6 or interim or summer terms shall be counted as a partial
7 semester or quarter of payment.
8 (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants
9 to be offered, shall take into consideration past experience
10 with the rate of grant funds unclaimed by recipients. The
11 Commission shall notify applicants that grant assistance is
12 contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.
13 (f) The Commission may request appropriations for
14 deposit into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies
15 deposited into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may be
16 expended exclusively for one purpose: to make Monetary Award
17 Program grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in
18 the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of
19 the current annual State appropriation for the Monetary Award
20 Program.
21 The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is
22 to enable the Commission each year to assure as many students
23 as possible of their eligibility for a Monetary Award Program
24 grant and to do so before commencement of the academic year.
25 Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to enhance
26 the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program,
27 minimizing the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of
28 adjusting award amounts and ensuring that the annual Monetary
29 Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
30 (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of
31 and make grants to applicants who attend qualified for-profit
32 institutions as follows:
33 (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to
34 first-time freshmen and first-time transfer students who
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1 have attained an associate degree.
2 (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to
3 freshmen students, transfer students who have attained an
4 associate degree, and students who receive a grant under
5 paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and whose grants
6 are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
7 (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all
8 students.
9 The Commission shall adopt rules to provide for the priority
10 in making grants to eligible applicants who attend qualified
11 for-profit institutions in the event that appropriations are
12 not sufficient to make grants to all qualified applicants.
13 Such rules shall prioritize such grants in the following
14 order: (1) renewals (2) first-time freshmen and first time
15 transfer students who have attained an associate degree (3)
16 freshmen students and transfer students who have attained an
17 associate degree (4) all students.
18 (Source: P.A. 88-553; 89-163, eff. 7-19-95; 89-330, eff.
19 8-17-95; 89-512, eff. 7-11-96; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)
20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July
21 1, 1997.