JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

MAP Special Enrollment Circumstances

{ISAC Rules, Sections 2700.80, 2735.30, and 2735.40}

Graduating Seniors and Student Teachers

{ISAC Rules, Section 2735.20}

Graduating seniors and student teachers enrolled less than full-time in their final term prior to receiving a baccalaureate degree will not be classified as full-time students for purposes of MAP grant eligibility.

Students who are enrolled in a combined undergraduate/graduate program of study during their senior year may be classified at the undergraduate level for MAP grant eligibility, if the student has not yet earned a baccalaureate degree.

If the student is classified as an undergraduate for MAP grant eligibility, then the school must classify the student as an undergraduate for all financial aid programs for which the student is eligible during the same time period. All students enrolled in the same program must be treated in the same manner.

Out-of-State and Foreign Study

{ISAC Rules, Section 2735.30}

If a MAP recipient’s academic program involves out-of-state and/or foreign study, the following enrollment requirements apply:

  • The recipient must be enrolled at an ISAC-approved institution of higher learning and the out-of-state/foreign study must be applicable to the student's degree or certificate program at the student’s institution of record.
  • The official academic transcript at the ISAC-approved institution must reflect the out-of-state/foreign study course work as institutionally earned credit and not as transfer credit.
  • The institution shall not request more than two semesters/three quarters of MAP assistance for any one qualified applicant enrolled on a full-time basis, or four semesters/six quarters of MAP for an applicant enrolled on a half-time basis.

If an Illinois institution operates an out-of-state center, residents of Illinois enrolled in classes at the out-of-state center may receive MAP benefits in accordance with the provisions above.

MAP is limited by statute and rules to be used only for payment of tuition and mandatory fees. In addition, the definition of mandatory fees specifically excludes program administration fees for out-of-state or foreign study. Therefore, to maximize students' eligibility for MAP assistance, the school of record should charge a student participating in an out-of-state/foreign study program the same tuition and fees as other full-time students enrolled at the school of record.

Under no circumstances should students in out-of-state/foreign study programs receive MAP assistance greater than the amount other students at that school receive, regardless of program costs, and neither should they be penalized by receiving less. The difference between the out-of-state/foreign study program costs and the tuition and mandatory fees eligible for MAP may be reflected in the cost of attendance used to calculate eligibility for other sources of assistance, including student loans.

Concurrent Registration

{ISAC Rules, Section 2735.40}

For institutions with concurrent registration opportunities, the following guidelines apply:

  • The MAP recipient must indicate on the FAFSA her/his institution of record to ISAC.
  • The institution of record will receive MAP payment on behalf of any other institution(s) and will distribute the appropriate share of the award to the other institution(s). ISAC will not make payments to more than one institution.
  • The amount paid cannot exceed the maximum term award for students at the institution of record, or the tuition and mandatory fee costs at the institution of record if the costs are less than the maximum term award.
  • Concurrent registration is limited to ISAC-approved institutions of higher learning.
  • The academic records at the institution of record must document the total number of credit hours for which the student is enrolled.

Contractual Agreements

{ISAC Rules, Section 2700.80}

The primary purpose of an ISAC-approved contractual course of study must be educational and must lead to, and be required for, a degree or health education certificate in a published course of study offered by an ISAC-approved institution.

All contractual agreements between ISAC-approved public institutions and non-approved institutions must involve programs approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). All ISAC-approved institutions not governed by the IBHE program review and approval procedures must submit their contractual agreements to ISAC for approval prior to requesting MAP payment for any contractual courses. ISAC may approve the contractual agreement if the terms are consistent with ISAC Rules, Section 2700.80 and meet the defined requirements.

All students wishing to enter into programs where contractual courses are taken must be informed by the ISAC-approved institution whether these courses are eligible for ISAC payment.

Distance Education

{ISAC Rules, Section 2700.20}

The same rules that apply to students who physically attend a course at a school other than their institution of record (concurrent registration) will also be applied to students who attend a course at another school via distance education.

The institution of record must be the institution listed in the ISAC MAP database in order for ISAC to direct payment to that institution.

If the student is attending more than one institution through distance learning, the institution of record must have evidence of registration from the other school(s) in the form of a copy of the registration document or a letter from the registrar at or near the beginning of the semester. The timing of this documentation is important. If the institution of record does not receive registration verification until the end of the semester when a grade is reported, a student's record may show incomplete status information that could possibly affect the student's award.