093_HB0019

 
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 1        AN ACT concerning higher education scholarships.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  1.   Short  title.  This Act may be cited as the
 5    Higher Education Scholarship Act.

 6        Section 5.  Definitions.  In this Act:
 7        "Commission"  means  the  Illinois   Student   Assistance
 8    Commission.
 9        "Eligible high school" means:
10             (1)  a public high school located in Illinois;
11             (2)   a  private  school  located  in Illinois where
12        children are taught the branches of education  taught  to
13        children  of  corresponding  age and grade in public high
14        schools in Illinois and which has been recognized by  the
15        Commission; or
16             (3)  a public or private secondary school located in
17        another  state  and  accredited  by  one of the following
18        regional agencies:
19                  (A)  The Southern Association of  Colleges  and
20             Schools.
21                  (B)  The New England Association of Schools and
22             Colleges.
23                  (C)   The Middle States Association of Colleges
24             and Schools.
25                  (D)  The North Central Association of  Colleges
26             and Schools.
27                  (E)   The  Northwestern  Association of Schools
28             and Colleges.
29                  (F)  The Western  Association  of  Schools  and
30             Colleges.
31        "Freshman  student"  means a student at an institution of
 
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 1    higher education who has  attempted  less  than  31  semester
 2    hours.
 3        "Grade  point  average"  means the numbered grade average
 4    calculated using a 4.0 scale.
 5        "Institution  of  higher  education"  means  a  community
 6    college, college, or university, whether public  or  private,
 7    located in this State.
 8        "Junior  student"  means  a  student at an institution of
 9    higher education who has attempted at least 61 semester hours
10    but less than 91 semester hours.
11        "Mandatory fees" means  fees  approved  by  the  Illinois
12    Student   Assistance   Commission  that  are  charged  by  an
13    institution of higher education to every student enrolled  in
14    that  institution  of  higher  education,  regardless  of the
15    student's program of study.
16        "Matriculated status" means being recognized as a student
17    in a defined program of study  leading  to  a  degree  at  an
18    institution of higher education.
19        "Scholarship"  means  the  scholarship awarded under this
20    Act.
21        "Semester hours" includes each semester  hour  attempted,
22    whether remedial or for credit toward a degree, but shall not
23    include  any  semester  hour attempted before graduating from
24    high school or  earning  a  general  educational  development
25    (GED) equivalency diploma.
26        "Senior  student"  means  a  student at an institution of
27    higher education who has attempted at least 91 semester hours
28    but less than 128 semester hours.
29        "Sophomore student" means a student at an institution  of
30    higher education who has attempted at least 31 semester hours
31    but less than 61 semester hours.
32        "Title  IV" means Title IV of the Higher Education Act of
33    1965, as amended (20 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1070, et seq.).
 
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 1        Section 10.  Ineligibility for scholarship.  A student is
 2    ineligible for a scholarship under this Act if the student:
 3             (1) is not a United States citizen  or  a  permanent
 4        resident  alien  who  meets the definition of an eligible
 5        noncitizen under federal Title IV requirements;
 6             (2)  is in default on a federal Title IV educational
 7        loan or a State of Illinois  educational  loan,  provided
 8        that  a  student  who is otherwise eligible and has fully
 9        repaid the defaulted loan shall be eligible to  obtain  a
10        scholarship   for   future   academic   terms   but   not
11        retroactively;
12             (3)  owes  a  refund  on  a federal Title IV student
13        financial aid program or an  Illinois  student  financial
14        aid  program,  provided  that  a student who is otherwise
15        eligible and has fully paid  the  refund  owed  shall  be
16        eligible  to  obtain  a  scholarship  for future academic
17        terms but not retroactively; or
18             (4)  does not meet each qualification  listed  under
19        Section  15,  20, 25, or 30 of this Act applicable to the
20        student.

21        Section 15.  Freshman eligibility for scholarship. To  be
22    eligible  for  a  scholarship,  an  entering freshman student
23    seeking a degree at an institution of higher education shall:
24             (1)  Meet  residency  requirements  by  meeting  the
25        requirements  to  be  classified  as  a legal resident of
26        Illinois as established by the program rules  promulgated
27        by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
28        tuition  policy of the governing board of the institution
29        of higher education in which the student is enrolled;
30             (2)  Meet achievement standards by having  graduated
31        from  an  eligible  high  school  with a cumulative grade
32        point  average  of  at  least  3.0  while   meeting   the
33        curriculum  requirements  of his or her program of study,
 
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 1        or, in the case of a student who is  otherwise  qualified
 2        but  did  not  graduate  from an eligible high school, by
 3        earning a cumulative grade point average of at least  3.0
 4        at  an  institution of higher education at the end of the
 5        semester in which the student has attempted  30  semester
 6        hours,  provided  that  the  student shall be eligible to
 7        receive  a  retroactive  scholarship  for  the  student's
 8        freshman year to be paid at the end of the freshman year;
 9        and
10             (3)  Meet enrollment standards  by  being  admitted,
11        enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
12        matriculated status.

13        Section 20.  Sophomore eligibility for scholarship. To be
14    eligible  for  a  scholarship,  a sophomore student seeking a
15    degree at an institution of higher education shall:
16             (1)  Meet  residency  requirements  by  meeting  the
17        requirements to be classified  as  a  legal  resident  of
18        Illinois  as established by the program rules promulgated
19        by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
20        tuition policy of the governing board of the  institution
21        of higher education in which the student is enrolled;
22             (2)   Meet  achievement  standards  by  meeting  the
23        following criteria:
24                  (A) Earning a cumulative grade point average of
25             at least 3.0 at an institution of  higher  education
26             at  the end of the semester in which the student has
27             attempted 30 semester hours; and
28                  (B) Maintaining satisfactory academic  progress
29             in   a  course  of  study  in  accordance  with  the
30             standards and practices used for  federal  Title  IV
31             programs  by  the institution of higher education in
32             which the student is enrolled; and
33             (3) Meet enrollment  standards  by  being  admitted,
 
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 1        enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
 2        matriculated status.

 3        Section  25.   Junior  eligibility for scholarship. To be
 4    eligible for a scholarship, a junior student seeking a degree
 5    at an institution of higher education shall:
 6             (1)  Meet  residency  requirements  by  meeting  the
 7        requirements  to  be  classified  as  a legal resident of
 8        Illinois as established by the program rules  promulgated
 9        by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
10        tuition  policy of the governing board of the institution
11        of higher education in which the student is enrolled;
12             (2)  Meet  achievement  standards  by  meeting   the
13        following criteria:
14                  (A)   Earning  a cumulative grade point average
15             of  at  least  3.0  at  an  institution  of   higher
16             education  at  the  end of the semester in which the
17             student has attempted 60 semester hours; and
18                  (B)  Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
19             in  a  course  of  study  in  accordance  with   the
20             standards  and  practices  used for federal Title IV
21             programs by the institution of higher  education  in
22             which the student is enrolled; and
23             (3)   Meet  enrollment  standards by being admitted,
24        enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
25        matriculated status.

26        Section 30.  Senior eligibility for  scholarship.  To  be
27    eligible for a scholarship, a senior student seeking a degree
28    at an institution of higher education shall:
29             (1)   Meet  residency  requirements  by  meeting the
30        requirements to be classified  as  a  legal  resident  of
31        Illinois  as established by the program rules promulgated
32        by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
 
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 1        tuition policy of the governing board of the  institution
 2        of higher education in which the student is enrolled;
 3             (2)   Meet  achievement  standards  by  meeting  the
 4        following criteria:
 5                  (A)   Meeting  all  achievement  standards  for
 6             scholarship eligibility in his or her junior year;
 7                  (B)   Earning  a cumulative grade point average
 8             of  at  least  3.0  at  an  institution  of   higher
 9             education  at  the  end of the semester in which the
10             student has attempted 90 semester hours; and
11                  (C)  Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
12             in  a  course  of  study  in  accordance  with   the
13             standards  and  practices  used for federal Title IV
14             programs by the institution of higher  education  in
15             which the student is enrolled; and
16             (3)   Meet  enrollment  standards by being admitted,
17        enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
18        matriculated status.

19        Section 35.  Cessation of eligibility.
20        (a)  A student who fails to maintain a  cumulative  grade
21    point  average  of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in
22    which the student has attempted 30 semester hours may  attend
23    the  next  30  semester  hours  without  a  scholarship.   An
24    otherwise  eligible  student  who  regains a cumulative grade
25    point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the  semester  in
26    which  the  student  has  attempted  60  semester  hours  may
27    requalify for a scholarship.
28        (b)  For  students  eligible for a scholarship under this
29    Act, no minimum number of hours of enrollment is required.
30        (c)  Except as set out in subsection (d) of this Section,
31    a student may receive the  scholarship  until  the  first  of
32    these events:
33             (1)   The student has earned a baccalaureate degree;
 
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 1        or
 2             (2)  The student has attempted at any institution of
 3        higher education a total of 127 semester hours.
 4        (d)   A  student  enrolled  in  an  undergraduate  degree
 5    program designed to be more than 127 semester hours in length
 6    is eligible to receive the scholarship for the lesser of:
 7             (1)  A total of 150 attempted semester hours; or
 8             (2)  The number of hours required for graduation  if
 9        the  student  has  a cumulative grade point average of at
10        least  3.0  after  the  semester  in  which  the  student
11        attempted 127 semester hours.

12        Section 37.  Condition for receipt of scholarship.  As  a
13    condition  for  receiving  a  scholarship  under  this Act, a
14    student must certify that he or she  has  applied  for  other
15    federal and State grants.

16        Section  40.  Scholarship amount.  Subject to the amounts
17    appropriated by the General Assembly, a  scholarship  awarded
18    under  this Act shall include (i) for a public institution of
19    higher education, tuition and approved mandatory fees or (ii)
20    for a private institution of higher  education,  tuition  and
21    approved  mandatory  fees  in  an  amount  not  to exceed the
22    maximum amount allowed to be awarded each academic year under
23    Section 35 of the Higher Education  Student  Assistance  Act.
24    However,  a  scholarship  may  be applied only to tuition and
25    mandatory fees not covered by any federal grant.

26        Section 990.  Rules.  The  Commission  is  authorized  to
27    promulgate  rules  not inconsistent with this Act relating to
28    scholarships described in this Act.

29        Section 995.  Funding.  The funding for the  scholarships
30    described   in   this   Act   shall   be  subject  to  annual
 
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 1    appropriations enacted by the General Assembly,  which  shall
 2    establish the total amount of funding for these scholarships.

 3        Section  999.  Effective  date.  This Act takes effect on
 4    July 1, 2004.