Returning students will have MAP grant priority

A bill intended to make it easier for college students to transfer credits within Illinois was signed into law Monday by Gov. Bruce Rauner during a visit to Harper College in Palatine.

The changes outlined in Senate Bill 2354 also encourage colleges to advise students on how best to apply credits toward degrees, with the intention of keeping students from spending money on unneeded credits.

Rauner also signed House Bill 5020, which gives priority to returning students for MAP grants. The grants, which do not need to be repaid, are awarded to Illinois residents who attend approved Illinois colleges and demonstrate financial need. Nearly 130,000 students received MAP grants last year.

The changes mean colleges "are now in a position to make aid offers that Illinois-based students will be more eager to accept," Rauner said.

State Sen. Tom Rooney of Rolling Meadows credited the legislature's bipartisan Higher Education Working Group, which formed to address declining enrollment in higher education in Illinois.

"The result of our work was legislation that strives to do better for Illinois students," Rooney said.