State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB0590

 
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 1        AN ACT concerning higher education student assistance.

 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 for Increased Tuition 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
 
                            -2-                LRB9207885NTsb
 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.).
 
                            -3-                LRB9207885NTsb
 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,  or  25  of  this Act applicable to the
20        student.

21        Section 15.  Sophomore eligibility for scholarship. To be
22    eligible for a scholarship, a  sophomore  student  seeking  a
23    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  adopted  by
27        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  meeting  the
31        following criteria:
32                  (A)  Having graduated  from  an  eligible  high
33             school  with  a cumulative grade point average of at
 
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 1             least 3.0 while meeting the curriculum  requirements
 2             of his or her program of study, or, in the case of a
 3             student  who  is  otherwise  qualified  but  did not
 4             graduate from an eligible high school, by  otherwise
 5             meeting  the  criteria  specified in clauses (B) and
 6             (C) of this subdivision (2);
 7                  (B) Earning a cumulative grade point average of
 8             at least 3.0 at an institution of  higher  education
 9             at  the end of the semester in which the student has
10             attempted 30 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  20.   Junior  eligibility for scholarship. To be
20    eligible for a scholarship, a junior student seeking a degree
21    at an institution of higher education shall:
22             (1)  Meet  residency  requirements  by  meeting  the
23        requirements  to  be  classified  as  a legal resident of
24        Illinois as established by the program rules  adopted  by
25        the  Commission,  which  shall be based upon the in-state
26        tuition policy of the governing board of the  institution
27        of higher education in which the student is enrolled;
28             (2)   Meet  achievement  standards  by  meeting  the
29        following criteria:
30                  (A)  Earning a cumulative grade  point  average
31             of   at  least  3.0  at  an  institution  of  higher
32             education at the end of the semester  in  which  the
33             student has attempted 60 semester hours; and
 
                            -5-                LRB9207885NTsb
 1                  (B)  Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
 2             in   a  course  of  study  in  accordance  with  the
 3             standards and practices used for  federal  Title  IV
 4             programs  by  the institution of higher education in
 5             which the student is enrolled; and
 6             (3)  Meet enrollment standards  by  being  admitted,
 7        enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
 8        matriculated status.

 9        Section  25.   Senior  eligibility for scholarship. To be
10    eligible for a scholarship, a senior student seeking a degree
11    at an institution of higher education shall:
12             (1)  Meet  residency  requirements  by  meeting  the
13        requirements  to  be  classified  as  a legal resident of
14        Illinois as established by the program rules  adopted  by
15        the  Commission,  which  shall be based upon the in-state
16        tuition policy of the governing board of the  institution
17        of higher education in which the student is enrolled;
18             (2)   Meet  achievement  standards  by  meeting  the
19        following criteria:
20                  (A)   Meeting  all  achievement  standards  for
21             scholarship eligibility in his or her junior year;
22                  (B)   Earning  a cumulative grade point average
23             of  at  least  3.0  at  an  institution  of   higher
24             education  at  the  end of the semester in which the
25             student has attempted 90 semester hours; and
26                  (C)  Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
27             in  a  course  of  study  in  accordance  with   the
28             standards  and  practices  used for federal Title IV
29             programs by the institution of higher  education  in
30             which the student is enrolled; and
31             (3)   Meet  enrollment  standards by being admitted,
32        enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
33        matriculated status.
 
                            -6-                LRB9207885NTsb
 1        Section 30.  Cessation of eligibility.
 2        (a)  A student who fails to maintain a  cumulative  grade
 3    point  average  of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in
 4    which the student has attempted 30 semester hours may  attend
 5    the  next  30  semester  hours  without  a  scholarship.   An
 6    otherwise  eligible  student  who  regains a cumulative grade
 7    point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the  semester  in
 8    which  the  student  has  attempted  60  semester  hours  may
 9    requalify for a scholarship.
10        (b)  For  students  eligible for a scholarship under this
11    Act, no minimum number of hours of enrollment is required.
12        (c)  Except as set out in subsection (d) of this Section,
13    a student may receive the  scholarship  until  the  first  of
14    these events:
15             (1)   The student has earned a baccalaureate degree;
16        or
17             (2)  The student has attempted at any institution of
18        higher education a total of 127 semester hours.
19        (d)   A  student  enrolled  in  an  undergraduate  degree
20    program designed to be more than 127 semester hours in length
21    is eligible to receive the scholarship for the lesser of:
22             (1)  A total of 150 attempted semester hours; or
23             (2)  The number of hours required for graduation  if
24        the  student  has  a cumulative grade point average of at
25        least  3.0  after  the  semester  in  which  the  student
26        attempted 127 semester hours.

27        Section 35.  Condition for receipt of scholarship.  As  a
28    condition  for  receiving  a  scholarship  under  this Act, a
29    student must certify that he or she  has  applied  for  other
30    federal and State grants.

31        Section  40.  Scholarship amount.  Subject to the amounts
32    appropriated by the General Assembly, a  scholarship  awarded
 
                            -7-                LRB9207885NTsb
 1    under this Act shall be in an amount equal to the following:
 2             (1)  for  a  public institution of higher education,
 3        the amount  of  any  increase  in  tuition  and  approved
 4        mandatory fees charged the scholarship recipient from the
 5        amount  of  tuition and approved mandatory fees charged a
 6        freshman student at  the  institution  at  the  time  the
 7        scholarship recipient was a freshman student; or
 8             (2)  for  a private institution of higher education,
 9        the amount  of  any  increase  in  tuition  and  approved
10        mandatory fees charged the scholarship recipient from the
11        amount  of  tuition and approved mandatory fees charged a
12        freshman student at  the  institution  at  the  time  the
13        scholarship  recipient was a freshman student, but not to
14        exceed the amount of any increase in tuition and approved
15        mandatory  fees  charged  a  freshman  student   at   the
16        University  of  Illinois  at  the  time  the  scholarship
17        recipient was a freshman student.
18    However,  a scholarship may be applied only to an increase in
19    tuition and mandatory fees not covered by any federal grant.

20        Section 990.  Rules.  The  Commission  is  authorized  to
21    adopt  rules  not  inconsistent  with  this  Act  relating to
22    scholarships described in this Act.

23        Section 995.  Funding.  The funding for the  scholarships
24    described   in   this   Act   shall   be  subject  to  annual
25    appropriations enacted by the General Assembly,  which  shall
26    establish the total amount of funding for these scholarships.

27        Section  999.  Effective  date.  This Act takes effect on
28    July 1, 2002.

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