http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-996716.mp3
Springfield, IL – An agreement is in place to prevent tens of thousands of Illinois college students from seeing big reductions in their state scholarships.
The popular Monetary Award Program was even more popular this year with record demand among lower income students who use the money to help cover costs of college.
But a tighter state budget meant those students would likely see much less money for the spring semester. That could force some to leave school.
But a deal recently reached among lawmakers and the governor will add more than $30 million for MAP grants.
"What's going to happen is rather than have a pretty significant reduction in what students were expecting for their MAP grants, they're probably going to get about the same amount they received for their first term," said Katherine Gricevich, who is with the agency that oversees the program.
Nearly 160,000 students receive the scholarship money.
The median family income for MAP recipients last year was about $32,000.
Thanks to Illinois Public Radio