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91_HB3831
LRB9110077NTks
1 AN ACT concerning higher education scholarships.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 State University Scholarship Act.
6 Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7 "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
8 Commission.
9 "Eligible high school" means:
10 (1) a public high school located in Illinois;
11 (2) a private school located in Illinois where
12 children are taught the branches of education taught to
13 children of corresponding age and grade in public high
14 schools in Illinois and which has been recognized by the
15 Commission; or
16 (3) a public or private secondary school located in
17 another state and accredited by one of the following
18 regional agencies:
19 (A) The Southern Association of Colleges and
20 Schools.
21 (B) The New England Association of Schools and
22 Colleges.
23 (C) The Middle States Association of Colleges
24 and Schools.
25 (D) The North Central Association of Colleges
26 and Schools.
27 (E) The Northwestern Association of Schools
28 and Colleges.
29 (F) The Western Association of Schools and
30 Colleges.
31 "Freshman student" means a student at a public university
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1 who has attempted less than 31 semester hours.
2 "Grade point average" means the numbered grade average
3 calculated using a 4.0 scale.
4 "Junior student" means a student at a public university
5 who has attempted at least 61 semester hours but less than 91
6 semester hours.
7 "Mandatory fees" means fees approved by the Illinois
8 Student Assistance Commission that are charged by a public
9 university to every student enrolled in that university,
10 regardless of the student's program of study.
11 "Matriculated status" means being recognized as a student
12 in a defined program of study leading to a degree at a public
13 university.
14 "Public university" means the University of Illinois,
15 Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University,
16 Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University,
17 Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University,
18 Northern Illinois University, or Western Illinois University.
19 "Scholarship" means the scholarship awarded under this
20 Act.
21 "Semester hours" includes each semester hour attempted,
22 whether remedial or for credit toward a degree, but shall not
23 include any semester hour attempted before graduating from
24 high school or earning a general educational development
25 (GED) equivalency diploma.
26 "Senior student" means a student at a public university
27 who has attempted at least 91 semester hours but less than
28 128 semester hours.
29 "Sophomore student" means a student at a public
30 university who has attempted at least 31 semester hours but
31 less than 61 semester hours.
32 "Title IV" means Title IV of the Higher Education Act of
33 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1070, et seq.).
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1 Section 10. Ineligibility for scholarship. A student is
2 ineligible for a scholarship under this Act if the student:
3 (1) is not a United States citizen or a permanent
4 resident alien who meets the definition of an eligible
5 noncitizen under federal Title IV requirements;
6 (2) is in default on a federal Title IV educational
7 loan or a State of Illinois educational loan, provided
8 that a student who is otherwise eligible and has fully
9 repaid the defaulted loan shall be eligible to obtain a
10 scholarship for future academic terms but not
11 retroactively;
12 (3) owes a refund on a federal Title IV student
13 financial aid program or an Illinois student financial
14 aid program, provided that a student who is otherwise
15 eligible and has fully paid the refund owed shall be
16 eligible to obtain a scholarship for future academic
17 terms but not retroactively; or
18 (4) does not meet each qualification listed under
19 Section 15, 20, 25, or 30 of this Act applicable to the
20 student.
21 Section 15. Freshman eligibility for scholarship. To be
22 eligible for a scholarship, an entering freshman student
23 seeking a baccalaureate degree at a public university shall:
24 (1) Meet residency requirements by meeting the
25 requirements to be classified as a legal resident of
26 Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated
27 by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
28 tuition policy of the governing board of the public
29 university in which the student is enrolled;
30 (2) Meet achievement standards by having graduated
31 from an eligible high school with a cumulative grade
32 point average of at least 3.0 while meeting the
33 curriculum requirements of his or her program of study,
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1 or, in the case of a student who is otherwise qualified
2 but did not graduate from an eligible high school, by
3 earning a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0
4 at a public university at the end of the semester in
5 which the student has attempted 30 semester hours,
6 provided that the student shall be eligible to receive a
7 retroactive scholarship for the student's freshman year
8 to be paid at the end of the freshman year; and
9 (3) Meet enrollment standards by being admitted,
10 enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
11 matriculated status.
12 Section 20. Sophomore eligibility for scholarship. To
13 be eligible for a scholarship, a sophomore student seeking a
14 baccalaureate degree at a public university shall:
15 (1) Meet residency requirements by meeting the
16 requirements to be classified as a legal resident of
17 Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated
18 by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
19 tuition policy of the governing board of the public
20 university in which the student is enrolled;
21 (2) Meet achievement standards by meeting the
22 following criteria:
23 (A) Earning a cumulative grade point average of
24 at least 3.0 at a public university at the end of
25 the semester in which the student has attempted 30
26 semester hours; and
27 (B) Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
28 in a course of study in accordance with the
29 standards and practices used for federal Title IV
30 programs by the public university in which the
31 student is enrolled; and
32 (3) Meet enrollment standards by being admitted,
33 enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
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1 matriculated status.
2 Section 25. Junior eligibility for scholarship. To be
3 eligible for a scholarship, a junior student seeking a
4 baccalaureate degree at a public university shall:
5 (1) Meet residency requirements by meeting the
6 requirements to be classified as a legal resident of
7 Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated
8 by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
9 tuition policy of the governing board of the public
10 university in which the student is enrolled;
11 (2) Meet achievement standards by meeting the
12 following criteria:
13 (A) Earning a cumulative grade point average
14 of at least 3.0 at a public university at the end of
15 the semester in which the student has attempted 60
16 semester hours; and
17 (B) Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
18 in a course of study in accordance with the
19 standards and practices used for federal Title IV
20 programs by the public university in which the
21 student is enrolled; and
22 (3) Meet enrollment standards by being admitted,
23 enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
24 matriculated status.
25 Section 30. Senior eligibility for scholarship. To be
26 eligible for a scholarship, a senior student seeking a
27 baccalaureate degree at a public university shall:
28 (1) Meet residency requirements by meeting the
29 requirements to be classified as a legal resident of
30 Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated
31 by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state
32 tuition policy of the governing board of the public
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1 university in which the student is enrolled;
2 (2) Meet achievement standards by meeting the
3 following criteria:
4 (A) Meeting all achievement standards for
5 scholarship eligibility in his or her junior year;
6 (B) Earning a cumulative grade point average
7 of at least 3.0 at a public university at the end of
8 the semester in which the student has attempted 90
9 semester hours; and
10 (C) Maintaining satisfactory academic progress
11 in a course of study in accordance with the
12 standards and practices used for federal Title IV
13 programs by the public university in which the
14 student is enrolled; and
15 (3) Meet enrollment standards by being admitted,
16 enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a
17 matriculated status.
18 Section 35. Cessation of eligibility.
19 (a) A student who fails to maintain a cumulative grade
20 point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in
21 which the student has attempted 30 semester hours may attend
22 the next 30 semester hours without a scholarship. An
23 otherwise eligible student who regains a cumulative grade
24 point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in
25 which the student has attempted 60 semester hours may
26 requalify for a scholarship.
27 (b) For students eligible for a scholarship under this
28 Act, no minimum number of hours of enrollment is required.
29 (c) Except as set out in subsection (d) of this Section,
30 a student may receive the scholarship until the first of
31 these events:
32 (1) The student has earned a baccalaureate degree;
33 or
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1 (2) The student has attempted at any public
2 university a total of 127 semester hours.
3 (d) A student enrolled in an undergraduate degree
4 program designed to be more than 127 semester hours in length
5 is eligible to receive the scholarship for the lesser of:
6 (1) A total of 150 attempted semester hours; or
7 (2) The number of hours required for graduation if
8 the student has a cumulative grade point average of at
9 least 3.0 after the semester in which the student
10 attempted 127 semester hours.
11 Section 40. Scholarship amount. Subject to the amounts
12 appropriated by the General Assembly, a scholarship awarded
13 under this Act shall include tuition and approved mandatory
14 fees. However, a scholarship may be applied only to tuition
15 and mandatory fees not covered by any federal grant.
16 Section 990. Rules. The Commission is authorized to
17 promulgate rules not inconsistent with this Act relating to
18 scholarships described in this Act.
19 Section 995. Funding. The funding for the scholarships
20 described in this Act shall be subject to annual
21 appropriations enacted by the General Assembly, which shall
22 establish the total amount of funding for these scholarships.
23 Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect on
24 January 1, 2002.