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  7. Policy and Procedure for Awarding Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant

Policy and Procedure for Awarding Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant

This state-funded grant program is available to qualified Illinois students attending in-state colleges and universities. Application for the MAP Grant is made by completing the FAFSA or the ISAC Alternative Application. Annual MAP Grants can be as large as $8,400. Eligibility is determined using a formula prescribed by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission based on components of the federal methodology calculations. The MAP Grant is restricted to tuition.

By applying for financial aid via the FAFSA and agreeing to share that information with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), students are automatically considered for MAP Grants. Bradley calculates the MAP Grant award during its normal award packaging routine. Eligibility criteria, award determination and quality control checks (inconsistent/missing/conflicting data) are built into PowerFaids “quality control” rules. Inconsistencies in data resulting from receipt of information from other sources is reviewed manually by the office director/designate. FAFSA data is updated/corrected as deemed necessary and resubmitted to CPS via EdConnect. As part of the testing regimen prior to launch of the annual awarding cycle, a sample of PowerFaids generated MAP Grant awards are compared to actual ISAC-generated awards.

To determine eligibility prior to calculating award amounts, the Office of Financial Assistance must (1) conduct a Satisfactory Academic Progress-SAP review using the SAP Policy used for federal Title IV aid programs, (2) conduct a MAP Payment Review, and (3) verify Illinois Residency.

The MAP Payment Review tests the equivalent number of semester credit hours of MAP benefits paid for each applicant. Payment for each term is made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for MAP payment, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of a 15 MAP Paid Credit Hours. The maximum number of MAP Paid Credit Hours that can be received is capped at 135.

Illinois Residency Verification is confirmed by the permanent address reported on Bradley’s Admission application and compared to data reported on the FAFSA. For dependents, Illinois Residency is confirmed by the self-reported parent state of legal residency and date of Illinois residence on the FAFSA. For independent students, Illinois Residency is confirmed by the self-reported student state of legal residency and date of Illinois residence on the FAFSA. If the validity of the student’s claim is questionable, additional documentation may be required. For independent students, the documentation must indicate the student resided in Illinois for 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the academic year. A list of acceptable documentation (such as Illinois Driver’s License, wage statements, or rent receipts) is available from the Office of Financial Assistance. Conflicting information may include parent and student address mismatch, reported Illinois residency less than one year or student attended high school outside of Illinois.

Awards are presented in Bradley aid packages as an estimate as identified as State of Illinois MAP Grant (Est). (Since MAP grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly in any given year funding constraints can lead to reductions to estimated MAP grants after awarding.) MAP awards also include the following attached message:

“The value of your State of IL MAP Grant (Est) is based upon funding levels as approved by the Illinois Legislature. The value of the award is subject to reduction if adequate funding is not provided. Bradley University resources do not cover reductions in MAP Grant awards resulting from State of Illinois funding shortfalls.”

MAP Grant awards are packaged based on the assumption of 15 credit hour per semester course load. Semester enrollments of less than 15 credit hours result in a proportionate reduction of award amounts. For example, annual MAP Grant for semester enrollments of 12 hours will be 20% less than shown on the notification. Students’ account statements will automatically show the prorated award. The award in PowerFaids is adjusted during “reconciliation”.

Policies and Procedures