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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 65.100 as follows: | ||||||
6 | (110 ILCS 947/65.100) | ||||||
7 | (Section scheduled to be repealed on October 1, 2024) | ||||||
8 | Sec. 65.100. AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program. | ||||||
9 | (a) The General Assembly makes all of the following | ||||||
10 | findings: | ||||||
11 | (1) Both access and affordability are important | ||||||
12 | aspects of the Illinois Public Agenda for College and | ||||||
13 | Career Success report. | ||||||
14 | (2) This State is in the top quartile with respect to | ||||||
15 | the percentage of family income needed to pay for college. | ||||||
16 | (3) Research suggests that as loan amounts increase, | ||||||
17 | rather than an increase in grant amounts, the probability | ||||||
18 | of college attendance decreases. | ||||||
19 | (4) There is further research indicating that | ||||||
20 | socioeconomic status may affect the willingness of | ||||||
21 | students to use loans to attend college. | ||||||
22 | (5) Strategic use of tuition discounting can decrease | ||||||
23 | the amount of loans that students must use to pay for |
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1 | tuition. | ||||||
2 | (6) A modest, individually tailored tuition discount | ||||||
3 | can make the difference in a student choosing to attend | ||||||
4 | college and enhance college access for low-income and | ||||||
5 | middle-income families. | ||||||
6 | (7) Even if the federally calculated financial need | ||||||
7 | for college attendance is met, the federally determined | ||||||
8 | Expected Family Contribution can still be a daunting | ||||||
9 | amount. | ||||||
10 | (8) This State is the second largest exporter of | ||||||
11 | students in the country. | ||||||
12 | (9) When talented Illinois students attend | ||||||
13 | universities in this State, the State and those | ||||||
14 | universities benefit. | ||||||
15 | (10) State universities in other states have adopted | ||||||
16 | pricing and incentives that allow many Illinois residents | ||||||
17 | to pay less to attend an out-of-state university than to | ||||||
18 | remain in this State for college. | ||||||
19 | (11) Supporting Illinois student attendance at | ||||||
20 | Illinois public universities can assist in State efforts | ||||||
21 | to maintain and educate a highly trained workforce. | ||||||
22 | (12) Modest tuition discounts that are individually | ||||||
23 | targeted and tailored can result in enhanced revenue for | ||||||
24 | public universities. | ||||||
25 | (13) By increasing a public university's capacity to | ||||||
26 | strategically use tuition discounting, the public |
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1 | university will be capable of creating enhanced tuition | ||||||
2 | revenue by increasing enrollment yields. | ||||||
3 | (b) In this Section: | ||||||
4 | "Eligible applicant" means a student from any high school | ||||||
5 | in this State, whether or not recognized by the State Board of | ||||||
6 | Education, who is engaged in a program of study that in due | ||||||
7 | course will be completed by the end of the school year and who | ||||||
8 | meets all of the qualifications and requirements under this | ||||||
9 | Section. | ||||||
10 | "Tuition and other necessary fees" includes the customary | ||||||
11 | charge for instruction and use of facilities in general and | ||||||
12 | the additional fixed fees charged for specified purposes that | ||||||
13 | are required generally of non-grant recipients for each | ||||||
14 | academic period for which the grant applicant actually | ||||||
15 | enrolls, but does not include fees payable only once or | ||||||
16 | breakage fees and other contingent deposits that are | ||||||
17 | refundable in whole or in part. The Commission may adopt, by | ||||||
18 | rule not inconsistent with this Section, detailed provisions | ||||||
19 | concerning the computation of tuition and other necessary | ||||||
20 | fees. | ||||||
21 | (c) Beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, each | ||||||
22 | public university may establish a merit-based scholarship | ||||||
23 | pilot program known as the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program. Each | ||||||
24 | year, the Commission shall receive and consider applications | ||||||
25 | from public universities under this Section. Each | ||||||
26 | participating public university shall indicate that grants |
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1 | under the program come from AIM HIGH and shall use the words | ||||||
2 | "AIM HIGH" in the name of any grant under the program and in | ||||||
3 | any published or posted materials about the program. Subject | ||||||
4 | to appropriation and any tuition waiver limitation established | ||||||
5 | by the Board of Higher Education, a public university campus | ||||||
6 | may award a grant to a student under this Section if it finds | ||||||
7 | that the applicant meets all of the following criteria: | ||||||
8 | (1) He or she is a resident of this State and a citizen | ||||||
9 | or eligible noncitizen of the United States. | ||||||
10 | (2) He or she files a Free Application for Federal | ||||||
11 | Student Aid and demonstrates financial need with a | ||||||
12 | household income no greater than 6 times the poverty | ||||||
13 | guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by | ||||||
14 | the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the | ||||||
15 | authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). The household income of | ||||||
16 | the applicant at the time of initial application shall be | ||||||
17 | deemed to be the household income of the applicant for the | ||||||
18 | duration of the pilot program. | ||||||
19 | (3) He or she meets the minimum cumulative grade point | ||||||
20 | average or ACT or SAT college admissions test score, as | ||||||
21 | determined by the public university campus. | ||||||
22 | (4) He or she is enrolled in a public university as an | ||||||
23 | undergraduate student on a full-time basis. | ||||||
24 | (5) He or she has not yet received a baccalaureate | ||||||
25 | degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours. | ||||||
26 | (6) He or she is not incarcerated. |
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1 | (7) He or she is not in default on any student loan or | ||||||
2 | does not owe a refund or repayment on any State or federal | ||||||
3 | grant or scholarship. | ||||||
4 | (8) Any other reasonable criteria, as determined by | ||||||
5 | the public university campus. | ||||||
6 | Each public university campus shall allow qualified | ||||||
7 | full-time undergraduate students to apply for a grant, but may | ||||||
8 | choose to allow qualified part-time undergraduate students who | ||||||
9 | are enrolling in their final semester at the public university | ||||||
10 | campus to also apply. | ||||||
11 | (d) Each public university campus shall determine grant | ||||||
12 | renewal criteria consistent with the requirements under this | ||||||
13 | Section. | ||||||
14 | (e) Each participating public university campus shall post | ||||||
15 | on its Internet website criteria and eligibility requirements | ||||||
16 | for receiving awards that use funds under this Section that | ||||||
17 | include a range in the sizes of these individual awards. The | ||||||
18 | criteria and amounts must also be reported to the Commission | ||||||
19 | and the Board of Higher Education, who shall post the | ||||||
20 | information on their respective Internet websites. | ||||||
21 | (f) After enactment of an appropriation for this Program, | ||||||
22 | the Commission shall determine an allocation of funds to each | ||||||
23 | public university in an amount proportionate to the number of | ||||||
24 | undergraduate students who are residents of this State and | ||||||
25 | citizens or eligible noncitizens of the United States and who | ||||||
26 | were enrolled at each public university campus in the previous |
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1 | academic year. All applications must be made to the Commission | ||||||
2 | on or before a date determined by the Commission and on forms | ||||||
3 | that the Commission shall provide to each public university | ||||||
4 | campus. The form of the application and the information | ||||||
5 | required shall be determined by the Commission and shall | ||||||
6 | include, without limitation, the total public university | ||||||
7 | campus funds used to match funds received from the Commission | ||||||
8 | in the previous academic year under this Section, if any, the | ||||||
9 | total enrollment of undergraduate students who are residents | ||||||
10 | of this State from the previous academic year, and any | ||||||
11 | supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary. Each | ||||||
12 | public university campus shall match the amount of funds | ||||||
13 | received by the Commission with financial aid for eligible | ||||||
14 | students. | ||||||
15 | A public university in which an average of at least 49% of | ||||||
16 | the students seeking a bachelor's degree or certificate | ||||||
17 | received a Pell Grant over the prior 3 academic years, as | ||||||
18 | reported to the Commission, shall match 35% 20% of the amount | ||||||
19 | of funds awarded in a given academic year with non-loan | ||||||
20 | financial aid for eligible students. A public university in | ||||||
21 | which an average of less than 49% of the students seeking a | ||||||
22 | bachelor's degree or certificate received a Pell Grant over | ||||||
23 | the prior 3 academic years, as reported to the Commission, | ||||||
24 | shall match 70% 60% of the amount of funds awarded in a given | ||||||
25 | academic year with non-loan financial aid for eligible | ||||||
26 | students. |
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1 | A public university campus is not required to claim its | ||||||
2 | entire allocation. The Commission shall make available to all | ||||||
3 | public universities, on a date determined by the Commission, | ||||||
4 | any unclaimed funds and the funds must be made available to | ||||||
5 | those public university campuses in the proportion determined | ||||||
6 | under this subsection (f), excluding from the calculation | ||||||
7 | those public university campuses not claiming their full | ||||||
8 | allocations. | ||||||
9 | Each public university campus may determine the award | ||||||
10 | amounts for eligible students on an individual or broad basis, | ||||||
11 | but, subject to renewal eligibility, each renewed award may | ||||||
12 | not be less than the amount awarded to the eligible student in | ||||||
13 | his or her first year attending the public university campus. | ||||||
14 | Notwithstanding this limitation, a renewal grant may be | ||||||
15 | reduced due to changes in the student's cost of attendance, | ||||||
16 | including, but not limited to, if a student reduces the number | ||||||
17 | of credit hours in which he or she is enrolled, but remains a | ||||||
18 | full-time student, or switches to a course of study with a | ||||||
19 | lower tuition rate. | ||||||
20 | An eligible applicant awarded grant assistance under this | ||||||
21 | Section is eligible to receive other financial aid. Total | ||||||
22 | grant aid to the student from all sources may not exceed the | ||||||
23 | total cost of attendance at the public university campus. | ||||||
24 | (g) All money allocated to a public university campus | ||||||
25 | under this Section may be used only for financial aid purposes | ||||||
26 | for students attending the public university campus during the |
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1 | academic year, not including summer terms. Notwithstanding any | ||||||
2 | other provision of law to the contrary, any funds received by a | ||||||
3 | public university campus under this Section that are not | ||||||
4 | granted to students in the academic year for which the funds | ||||||
5 | are received may be retained by the public university campus | ||||||
6 | for expenditure on students participating in the Program or | ||||||
7 | students eligible to participate in the Program. | ||||||
8 | (h) Each public university campus that establishes a | ||||||
9 | Program under this Section must annually report to the | ||||||
10 | Commission, on or before a date determined by the Commission, | ||||||
11 | the number of undergraduate students enrolled at that campus | ||||||
12 | who are residents of this State. | ||||||
13 | (i) Each public university campus must report to the | ||||||
14 | Commission the total non-loan financial aid amount given by | ||||||
15 | the public university campus to undergraduate students in the | ||||||
16 | 2017-2018 academic year or the 2021-2022 academic year , not | ||||||
17 | including the summer terms term . To be eligible to receive | ||||||
18 | funds under the Program, a public university campus may not | ||||||
19 | decrease the total amount of non-loan financial aid it gives | ||||||
20 | to undergraduate students, not including any funds received | ||||||
21 | from the Commission under this Section or any funds used to | ||||||
22 | match grant awards under this Section, to an amount lower than | ||||||
23 | the reported amount reported under this subsection (i) for the | ||||||
24 | 2017-2018 academic year or the 2021-2022 academic year , | ||||||
25 | whichever is less, not including the summer terms term . | ||||||
26 | (j) On or before a date determined by the Commission, each |
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1 | public university campus that participates in the Program | ||||||
2 | under this Section shall annually submit a report to the | ||||||
3 | Commission with all of the following information: | ||||||
4 | (1) The Program's impact on tuition revenue and | ||||||
5 | enrollment goals and increase in access and affordability | ||||||
6 | at the public university campus. | ||||||
7 | (2) Total funds received by the public university | ||||||
8 | campus under the Program. | ||||||
9 | (3) Total non-loan financial aid awarded to | ||||||
10 | undergraduate students attending the public university | ||||||
11 | campus. | ||||||
12 | (4) Total amount of funds matched by the public | ||||||
13 | university campus. | ||||||
14 | (5) Total amount of claimed and unexpended funds | ||||||
15 | retained by the public university campus. | ||||||
16 | (6) The percentage of total financial aid distributed | ||||||
17 | under the Program by the public university campus. | ||||||
18 | (7) The total number of students receiving grants from | ||||||
19 | the public university campus under the Program and those | ||||||
20 | students' grade level, race, gender, income level, family | ||||||
21 | size, Monetary Award Program eligibility, Pell Grant | ||||||
22 | eligibility, and zip code of residence and the amount of | ||||||
23 | each grant award. This information shall include unit | ||||||
24 | record data on those students regarding variables | ||||||
25 | associated with the parameters of the public university's | ||||||
26 | Program, including, but not limited to, a student's ACT or |
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1 | SAT college admissions test score, high school or | ||||||
2 | university cumulative grade point average, or program of | ||||||
3 | study. | ||||||
4 | On or before October 1, 2020 and annually on or before | ||||||
5 | October 1 through 2024 thereafter , the Commission shall submit | ||||||
6 | a report with the findings under this subsection (j) and any | ||||||
7 | other information regarding the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program | ||||||
8 | to (i) the Governor, (ii) the Speaker of the House of | ||||||
9 | Representatives, (iii) the Minority Leader of the House of | ||||||
10 | Representatives, (iv) the President of the Senate, and (v) the | ||||||
11 | Minority Leader of the Senate. The reports to the General | ||||||
12 | Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of | ||||||
13 | Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic | ||||||
14 | form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the Secretary shall | ||||||
15 | direct. The Commission's report may not disaggregate data to a | ||||||
16 | level that may disclose personally identifying information of | ||||||
17 | individual students. | ||||||
18 | The sharing and reporting of student data under this | ||||||
19 | subsection (j) must be in accordance with the requirements | ||||||
20 | under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of | ||||||
21 | 1974 and the Illinois School Student Records Act. All parties | ||||||
22 | must preserve the confidentiality of the information as | ||||||
23 | required by law. The names of the grant recipients under this | ||||||
24 | Section are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of | ||||||
25 | Information Act. | ||||||
26 | Public university campuses that fail to submit a report |
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1 | under this subsection (j) or that fail to adhere to any other | ||||||
2 | requirements under this Section may not be eligible for | ||||||
3 | distribution of funds under the Program for the next academic | ||||||
4 | year, but may be eligible for distribution of funds for each | ||||||
5 | academic year thereafter. | ||||||
6 | (k) The Commission shall adopt rules to implement this | ||||||
7 | Section. | ||||||
8 | (l) (Blank). This Section is repealed on October 1, 2024.
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9 | (Source: P.A. 100-587, eff. 6-4-18; 100-1015, eff. 8-21-18; | ||||||
10 | 100-1183, eff. 4-4-19; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-613, eff. | ||||||
11 | 6-1-20; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)
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12 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
13 | becoming law.
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