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Illinois Program For Needy Students Runs Out Of Money

Tuition at the University of Illinois campuses, including its flagship, pictured here, will go up 4.8 percent for incoming freshmen.
(via Flickr/ilovebutter)
Tuition at the University of Illinois campuses, including its flagship, pictured here, will go up 4.8 percent for incoming freshmen.

Illinois has once again run out money to help needy students go to college. The cutoff to be considered for a MAP grant expired over the weekend.

If students didn't have their financial aid application in by Friday, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission says it probably won't have enough money to give them a Monetary Award Program, or MAP Grant.

Commission spokesman John Samuels, says March 1 is the earliest the state has run out of money for the program.

"It used to be ten years ago that MAP was available year-round," Samuels said. "But the demand has increased so dramatically, and tuition costs have gone up so high, that we're now able to provide grants for fewer than half of the students who apply."

Samuels says students qualify for MAP grants if their families have income of less than $36,000 a year.

The MAP grants in question will be awarded to students on a first-come, first-serve basis, and are for the school year that begins this fall.

Samuels encourages students who missed the deadline to still fill out financial aid forms.