Illinois hasn't set aside any money to pay for the MAP grants that help poor students go to college. Students should still hurry to fill out financial aid forms.
The FAFSA sounds like a mouthful. Lynne Baker with the Illinois' Student Assistance Commission says, It's actually, "The Free Application For Federal Student Aid."
It’s a federal form, but one students need to submit in order to qualify for state programs too, like the Monetary Award Program.
There are two reasons to rush:
1.) Illinois doesn't have enough money to give MAP grants to everyone eligible. Baker says, "it's funded on a first-come, first-served basis.”
2.) This time, the feds made the FAFSA available early; in October rather than January, moving the whole timeline up.
Baker says Illinois is still going forward with the MAP program, even though the ongoing partisan feud in Springfield means lawmakers haven't approved funding it yet.
