The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has some bad news for college students looking for help paying tuition bills.
The agency has run out of cash for the Monetary Award Program, or MAP grants.
The Chicago Tribune reports that those grants are the primary source of need-based financial aid, and the scholarship money is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
This year, Illinois is on track to receive a record number of applications for the program.
And commission spokesman John Samuels says the MAP money was depleted by students who applied by March 13. Samuels says that's the earliest the state has run out of funds for those grants.
More than 140,000 students are expected to get the aid. The grants are worth up to $4,968.