The Office of Financial Aid received notification yesterday that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is suspending the 2013-2014 Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for all students whose initial 2013-14 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is submitted after March 1, 2013.

The March 1 suspension date, which is the earliest in MAP history, is the result of continuing state budget difficulties and an unprecedented number of early applicants.

If you are an Illinois resident and a US Citizen/Permanent Resident, you may be eligible for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant for the upcoming school year. The state awards this grant based upon need and credit hours already paid in the program. MAP Grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly. Please be aware that in light of state funding constraints, reductions to estimated or actual MAP grants are possible.

IIT cannot replace MAP grant funding for students who fail to meet filing deadlines.

To be considered for the MAP Grant, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (fafsa.ed.gov). If you and/or your parents have yet to complete their tax returns for 2012, we strongly urge you to use estimates now and make corrections to the FAFSA later. The state uses the date the FAFSA is submitted to determine initial eligibility, even if updates are made later.

Once received, the Office of Financial Aid will use your FAFSA to determine if you are eligible for this grant based on your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). We will begin preparing award packages for the 2013-14 academic year and have them available to students in early April.

If you have already submitted your FAFSA to the Department of Education or you are graduating, please ignore this notification.

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@iit.edu with any questions.