State Grants - NIU - Financial Aid and Scholarships Office

State of Illinois Grants

Monetary Award Program (MAP)

The MAP Grant is a state-funded grant awarded by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

Need-based
Apply by completing the FAFSA each year before the suspension date announced by ISAC
Independent students or parents of dependent students must be Illinois residents
Available to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's degree or professional degree
Awards vary from $300 to $5,340 per academic year
Awards for students with less than 15 credit hours per semester will be prorated
- Formula for calculating prorated award amount: Semester amount on award / 15 x actual number of registered hours
- Example:
  - Full award amount = $2,670
  - Actual number of registered hours = 13
  - $2,670 / 15 x 13 = $2,314
Grants may be limited based on FAFSA application date, number of applicants, and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly
Students who have accumulated 135 MAP Eligibility Units are not eligible

You can find more detailed information about the MAP Grant at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission website or check out the 'getting to know the Monetary Award Program' video.

Other Illinois Grants

The state of Illinois offers several additional grants including:

Grant Program for Dependents of Police or Fire Officers
Grant Program for Dependents of Correctional Officers

For information about qualifications and award amounts, visit the Grants page of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission website.

Senior Citizen Waiver

The Illinois Senior Citizen Courses Act permits senior citizens, 65 years of age or older, to enroll in regularly scheduled credit courses at public institutions of higher education without the payment of tuition. View or download the senior citizen tuition waiver.