Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant

Illinois's largest need-based grant pays between $300 and roughly $8,000 a year toward tuition and fees at approved Illinois colleges, for undergraduates only. Eligibility rests on the FAFSA, or on ISAC's RISE Act Alternative Application for undocumented and DACA students, and in practice on a federal Student Aid Index below about $9,000. Nothing extra gets filed: your college claims the grant on your behalf. There is no real cutoff, because the state funds claims in the order they arrive and stops making new awards once the appropriation is committed, which can happen months before the March 1 date published for returning students. File the FAFSA the week it opens on October 1, refile every year, and keep in mind the lifetime cap of 135 MAP-paid credit hours.

How hard is the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant to win?

This is not a competition, but the funding is rationed: eligible students are routinely turned away once the money runs out, so filing date decides the outcome.

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

• Fewer rivalsOpen only to Illinois residents
• Fewer rivalsAn income ceiling applies

How Solyo estimates this: State programs that allocate by published formula are modelled on qualification and filing, not on competition, because there is no selection committee choosing between applicants. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

• ✓Must be a resident of Illinois
• ✓Household income of $90,000 or less

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is March 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 1 each year. Applications open when the FAFSA opens on October 1. Funds are claimed in filing order and can run out well before March 1, so file the FAFSA within days of its October 1 opening.

FAFSA or Alternative Application opens

October 1, 2026

New awards can be suspended once funds are claimed

Any time after the cycle opens

Returning-student priority date

March 1, 2027

Grant appears on the college aid offer

Spring

Common questions about the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant

More state grants & programs

• 802 Opportunity Grant
  Full tuition and the $100 administrative fee at CCV (last-dollar)
• Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program
  Varies by SAI and school type per statutory table (amounts prorated if funding is short)
• Alabama Student Grant Program
  Up to $3,000/yr ($1,500 per semester; actual amount depends on state funding)
• Alaska Education Grant
  $500-$4,000/yr based on need and enrollment level
• Alaska Performance Scholarship
  $3,500-$7,000/yr depending on tier
• Arizona Promise Program
  Full tuition & mandatory fees at Arizona public universities (last-dollar)

Lists this award appears on

• Illinois Scholarships and State Grants
• No-Essay Scholarships
• Need-Based Scholarships and Grants
• Renewable Scholarships (Multi-Year Awards)
• Scholarships With March Deadlines