Section 2740.10  Summary and Purpose

 

a)         The Community College Transfer Grant (CCTG) Program provides grant assistance, subject to appropriation, to students who have received an associate's degree at an Illinois community college and who are pursuing a baccalaureate degree at a public or private institution of higher education in Illinois.

 

b)         This Part governs the Community College Transfer Grant Program. Additional rules and definitions are contained in General Provisions, 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700.

 

Section 2740.20  Applicant Eligibility

 

a)         A qualified applicant shall:

 

1)         be a citizen of the United States or eligible noncitizen;

 

2)         be a resident of Illinois;

 

3)         be enrolled at least half-time in a degree program (see 34 CFR 668.8) at the junior or senior class level as determined by the institution;

 

4)         be enrolled at a public or not-for-profit private institution that is approved to participate in the Monetary Award Program (MAP);

 

5)         have an Expected Family Contribution of no more than $9,000 as calculated by the federal government using the family's financial information as reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and

 

6)         have maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent while enrolled in an associate's degree program at a public community college, and while pursuing a baccalaureate degree, continue to maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent and make satisfactory academic progress toward a degree.

 

b)         Eligibility is restricted to undergraduate students.

 

1)         CCTG recipients must not have received a baccalaureate degree.

 

2)         Graduate students are not eligible for CCTG assistance. For purposes of this Part, an institution of higher learning shall classify as a "graduate student" any student who:

 

A)        is enrolled in an academic program or course above the baccalaureate level that leads to any degree above the baccalaureate level; and

 

B)        is not eligible to receive federal financial assistance (see 34 CFR 674.2, 675.2, 676.2) as an undergraduate student; and

 

C)        has completed the equivalent of at least three years of full-time postsecondary study, either prior to entrance into the academic program or as part of the academic program itself.

 

Section 2740.30  Program Procedures

 

a)         An applicant applies for a CCTG grant by using the form that the United States Department of Education designates as an application form for federal student financial aid. (See Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 USC 1070a).)

 

1)         An applicant, spouse or parents of the applicant, as applicable, are required to submit financial information on the application regarding income, asset value and non-taxable income. This information shall be kept confidential.

 

2)         A recipient must report to the institution all additional gift assistance, such as tuition waivers and scholarships.

 

3)         An applicant must file his or her complete application by June 1 prior to the academic year for which assistance is being requested.

 

b)         Awards are limited to two academic years or 60 credit hours and are not restricted to tuition and mandatory fees.

 

c)         The maximum grant available to a qualified applicant is fixed at $1,000 per year. Students pursuing an undergraduate degree in engineering, mathematics, nursing, teaching or science are eligible for an additional $1,000 per year.

 

d)         The grant will be disbursed in installments depending on the number of terms financed by the grant.

 

e)         The grant payment is subject to the availability of funds and the amounts appropriated to ISAC by the General Assembly. If funds are insufficient to pay all claims, grants will be awarded according to the date the completed applications were received, until funds have been expended.

 

f)         It is the responsibility of CCTG applicants to gain admission to approved Illinois institutions of higher learning and institutions are not obligated to admit them.

 

Section 2740.40  Institutional Procedures

 

a)         The institution shall submit eligibility information for qualified applicants in sufficient time for ISAC to make award announcements.

 

b)         The institution shall submit its request for payment within the time frame requested by ISAC, which shall be no sooner than 30 days unless a more rapid response is necessary to expend appropriated funds prior to the end of the academic year. By submitting a payment request, an institution is certifying that the qualified applicants meet the requirements of Section 2740.20.

 

c)         Funds shall be remitted by ISAC to institutions on behalf of the recipients.

 

d)         Upon receipt of grant funds, the institution shall verify the qualified applicant's enrollment status. If enrolled, the institution may credit the grant funds to the student's account for expenses due and payable. The balance of the disbursement shall be released to the recipient.

 

e)         Upon receipt of the grant, if the qualified applicant has withdrawn from enrollment for the terms for which the award was intended, the institution shall return the amount of the grant payment to ISAC.

 

f)         Assistance received by a student under CCTG must not be reduced by the receipt of other financial aid from any source. Other aid must be reduced when the total amount of gift assistance received would exceed the cost of attendance used to calculate Title IV aid for that student.

 

g)         To provide sufficient time for processing and vouchering through the State Comptroller's Office in Springfield, all payment requests, except for summer term, must be received by ISAC no later than July 1. Summer term payment requests must be received no later than July 31.

 

h)         Payment requests received after those dates for the award year will be processed as time and available funds permit; however, final action may require institutions to go to the Illinois Court of Claims to obtain payment for approved claims. (See the Court of Claims Act [705 ILCS 505].)