Section 2766.20  Institutional Applicant Eligibility

a)         A public university applicant is eligible to apply for and receive an allocation of an appropriation of AIM HIGH funds if it:

1)         submits a timely and complete application that includes a description of the award to be funded with AIM HIGH funds that meet program eligibility criteria in Section 2766.50(a), (b) and (c) to be used solely for non-loan financial aid at that university or university campus during the academic year, not including the summer term;

2)         certifies, during the academic year for which the AIM HIGH funds are requested, it shall, in addition to meeting its MOE requirement, make a good faith effort to meet its matching requirement;

3)         certifies the total amount of its baseline awards;

4)         certifies that, during the academic year for which the AIM HIGH funds are requested, it shall, in addition to awards made for the matching requirement, make a good faith effort to award qualifying non-loan financial aid to its Illinois resident undergraduate students, not including AIM HIGH funded awards, in an amount:

A)        that is at least equal to its baseline awards; or

B)        if enrollment is less than in academic year 2017-18, not including the summer term, that total amount calculated on a per student basis;

5)         has met all information reporting requirements in Section 2766.40(c);

6)         has not been suspended or disqualified from receiving an allocation for the upcoming academic year; and

7)         enters into an AIM HIGH Grant Agreement with ISAC.

b)         For renewal applications, in addition to complying with subsection (a), the public university campus shall:

1)         demonstrate that it met its matching requirement and MOE in the previous academic year;

2)         in any academic year the public university campus fails to meet its entire matching requirement, demonstrate that it made a good faith effort to meet its matching requirement to be eligible for an allocation that is necessary to fund only renewal AIM HIGH funded awards in the academic year following the next allocation determination.

3)         in any academic year the public university campus fails to make its entire MOE, demonstrate that it made a good faith effort to make it to be eligible for:

A)        100% of its allocation of AIM HIGH funds in the next allocation distribution if, in the preceding academic year, the public university campus made its entire MOE;

B)        90% of its allocation of AIM HIGH funds in the next allocation distribution if it is the second consecutive academic year the public university campus fails to make its entire MOE; and

C)        an amount in the next allocation determination that is necessary to fund only renewal AIM HIGH funded awards when it is the third or more consecutive academic year that the public university campus fails to make its entire MOE.

(Source:  Amended at 45 Ill. Reg. 8494, effective July 1, 2021)