Office of Financial Aid

Very Important: Based upon the current State of Illinois fiscal year 2010 budget, the amount of funds that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) receives to fund college scholarships and grants, including the MAP and IIA grants outlined below, has been significantly reduced for the 2009-10 academic year. As a result of current funding levels, ISAC will only be able to honor MAP and IIA awards for the fall 2009 term. Unless additional funding becomes available, there will be “NO SPRING 2010 TERM AWARDS“.

State Grants

Monetary Award Program (MAP)

The Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant is funded by the State of Illinois and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). In order to be eligible, students (and parents, if dependent) must be Illinois residents, be undergraduate, have completed the FAFSA before ISAC’s deadline, and meet ISAC’s financial eligibility criteria (generally, having an EFC less than $9,000). MAP grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly. For this reason students are highly encouraged to file the FAFSA annually by UIC’s priority deadline of March 1. For the 2009-10 academic year, MAP awards will range from $300 to $4,968 for the full year. However, in light of state funding constraints, reductions of awards are possible.

Payment for each term is made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for MAP payment, with the minimum being 3 and the maximum being 15. The following chart details MAP eligibility by term based on credit hours enrolled as of the end of the add/drop period for the fall and spring terms.

UIC recognizes that first time freshmen often face unique challenges during their initial year and consequently enroll for fewer than 15 credit hours. To assist first time freshmen UIC provides a one year only supplemental grant to those who are in enrolled in 12 to 14 credit hours. This one-year award will cover the reduction of the MAP.

Important: There is a limit of 75 “MAP paid credit hours” that can be received while classified as a freshman and sophomore. If this maximum is reached, the student must attain junior status before they can regain MAP eligibility. Additionally, the maximum number of “MAP paid credit hours” that can be received is capped by ISAC at 135.

Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program

The Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program is funded by the State of Illinois and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). To be eligible for IIA, students (and parents, if dependent) must be Illinois residents, have completed the FAFSA in a timely manner, and have an EFC of $0. IIA grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly. For this reason students are highly encouraged to file the FAFSA annually by UIC’s priority deadline of March 1. The IIA grant is a one time grant of up to $500 for freshmen enrolled at least half time.

Student-to-Student (STS) Grant

The Student-to-Student Grant is a matching grant program which is partly funded by UIC students with a matching portion being provided by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). This grant is available to undergraduate Illinois residents who are seeking their first bachelor’s degree, are enrolled full time, are eligible for the MAP grant, and have an EFC generally between $4,618 and $5,500. Funding for this program is very limited, thus not all students who meet the above criteria will be awarded the STS Grant. For the 2009-10 academic year, STS Grants will range from $500 to $1,000 for the full year.

Hours	Approximate Percentage of MAP
15+	100%
14	93%
13	87%
12	80%
11	73%
10	67%
9	60%
8	53%
7	47%
6	40%
5	33%
4	27%
3	20%