HB0301: EDUCATION-TECH

Legislative Summary

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act with respect to the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program. Removes language referring to the program as a pilot program. Requires each participating public university to indicate that grants under the program come from AIM HIGH and to use the words "AIM HIGH" in the name of any grant under the program and in any published or posted materials about the program. Provides that each public university campus shall allow qualified full-time undergraduate students to apply for a grant, but may choose to allow qualified part-time undergraduate students who are enrolling in their final semester at the public university campus to also apply. Provides that a public university in which an average of at least 49% of the students seeking a bachelor's degree or certificate received a Pell Grant over the prior 3 academic years shall match 35% (instead of 20%) of the amount of funds awarded in a given academic year with non-loan financial aid for eligible students. Provides that a public university in which an average of less than 49% of the students seeking a bachelor's degree or certificate received a Pell Grant over the prior 3 academic years shall match 70% (instead of 60%) of the amount of funds awarded in a given academic year with non-loan financial aid for eligible students. Provides that each public university campus must report to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission the total non-loan financial aid amount given by the public university campus to undergraduate students in the 2017-2018 academic year or the 2021-2022 academic year (instead of just the 2017-2018 academic year), not including the summer terms. Provides that, to be eligible to receive funds under the program, a public university campus may not decrease the total amount of non-loan financial aid it gives to undergraduate students, not including any funds received from the Commission or any funds used to match grant awards, to an amount lower than the amount reported for the 2017-2018 academic year or the 2021-2022 academic year, whichever is less (instead of just the 2017-2018 academic year), not including the summer terms. Removes the repealer provision. Effective immediately.