Information about the Monetary Award Program (MAP)

New Information: This page updated October 11, 2009

Attend the student rally to restore MAP Grants in Springfield on October 15!
Transportation will be provided by Student Senate, departing from Knox at 9:30 a.m. and returning by 5 p.m. Contact the Campus Life office at ext. 7489 to reserve your seat on the bus.

The State of Illinois has dramatically cut funding for the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant for this year. Funding for the program has been cut in half, and the money appropriated was used to fund students for the first half of the year. Unless the Governor and General Assembly act in October, there will be only partical funding for the winter term and no funding for the MAP grant for the  spring term.

What this means for Knox Students
For Knox students who are eligible for a MAP grant this year, the proposed cuts mean that you will receive only $828 in the winter term, and no MAP award for  the spring term. That is a total reduction of $2,484 for the 2009-2010 academic year.

More than 250 Knox students are MAP recipients this year. Knox is committed to providing guidance for every family that may be impacted by the loss of MAP funding.

Knox College is actively engaged in advocating for full funding for MAP, but we need your help if we are to be successful.

What You Can Do
As a MAP recipient, you and your family can let decision makers know how their decisions will affect you directly. We strongly urge you to call, or write your State Representative and State Senator to let them know how the State's proposed budget cuts will be impacting you. Tell them how important your MAP grant is to you and your Knox College education.

The Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities has developed a quick form that you can use to notify your legislators. Click here to email your legislators and let them know that MAP funding is an important part of making your education affordable. You can also sign a petition to save MAP grants at www.saveillinoismapgrants.org.

What this budget does to MAP
Under this budget MAP recipients would receive only 50% of the total MAP award for the 2009-2010 school year.

• More than 60% of MAP recipients are continuing students. This budget would result in dramatic numbers of college dropouts who are unable to continue.
• Under this budget, the money available to MAP is reduced to $160 million
• "Full-funding" of MAP awards already processed for first semester would cost $194 million. This does not include funding any grant applications received after May 15.
• ISAC reports a more than 30 percent rise in aid applications this year.

For more information, visit the ISAC website.

About MAP
The Monetary Award Program (MAP) is the state's largest need-based aid program. About half the recipients come from families with no resources to pay for college. Each year more than 150,000 Illinois students are able to attend private and public colleges and universities due to the state's provision of $380 million in MAP grants. Reducing these funds will force many students out of school, and many others will be scrambling to obtain high cost private loans in a very difficult credit market.

According to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC):

• Most MAP recipients attending public and private institutions already have a maximum federal Stafford subsidized loan.
• PLUS loans are usually not an option for these students, so the only recourse is high-interest, non-subsidized private loans which have high interest rates and are increasingly difficult to obtain in today's tight credit market.
• If these loans are available, the cumulative increase in borrowing for Illinois students could be around $200 million. If these loans cannot be found, many students will drop out of college. Many of these drop-outs would be receiving federal Pell Grants.
• Each drop-out costs the state about $5,350 in Pell funds; the cumulative effect could be as high as $200 million. State funding for MAP brings in more than $50 million in matching funds every year from the federal government, plus about $4 million in federal money for financial aid distributed through the MAP. These funds also would be lost due to the cuts in MAP.

Stay Informed
This page will be updated when new information is available. Last update: September 30, 2009

For more information, visit the ISAC website  or www.saveillinoismapgrants.org.

Quick email form to contact your legislators now