More than 130,000 college students in Illinois rely on the Monetary Award Program -- or MAP grants — to help pay for tuition.
That’s one of the many programs that was left unfunded when state lawmakers and the governor failed to agree on a state budget.
Most colleges have covered the cost for students, counting on eventual reimbursement. But State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, speaking at the University of Illinois in Springfield Tuesday, said that won't go on much longer.
“I’ve spoken with presidents at other college campuses, other university campuses around the state, and they have told me in no uncertain terms, 'We cannot do this in the second semester,'” Frerichs said. “That will have to stop.”
Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation this summer that would have funded the MAP program. A Senate meeting to discuss the financial state of Illinois's higher education system is scheduled Thursday in Joliet.
