State Issues Midnight Deadline For MAP Grant Applicants

Each year, Illinois keeps moving up the ‘suspend’ date for college-bound students to apply for the Monetary Awards Program, or MAP grants.

This year, those wanting financial aid are encouraged to apply by 12 a.m. on Friday. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission said it expects to get a record 280,000 FAFSA’s, or Free Applications for Federal Student Aid, and can only help roughly half of them.  

This marks the earliest the agency has cut off awards to potential recipients. On Wednesday, the University of Illinois' Office of Student Financial Aid issued an urgent notice to students and those applying for school to submit a FAFSA by Thursday,

Director of Government Relations Katharine Gricevich said anyone filing later goes on a waiting list.

“Reasons that could happen could be if -  fewer people show up at Illinois schools to claim their grants than we projected, or people took fewer hours than we projected, or if we to be appropriated additional money," she said.

The agency cut off applications on March 2, 2013, but additional funding that came through later awarded grants to those on the waiting list.

The average award for MAP grants is currently between $2,500 and $2,700. The state currently has about $370 million available for the program.