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In an effort to increase enrollment of Illinois residents at Illinois public universities, increase overall retention of Illinois college students in Illinois and encourage Illinois residents to attain a college degree, state appropriated funds are to be used to enable Illinois public universities to establish a merit-based, means-tested award programs customized for their own campus.

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110 ILCS 947/65.100

23 ILLINOIS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 2733 CH. XIX, SEC. 2766

In an effort to increase enrollment of Illinois residents at Illinois public universities, increase overall retention of Illinois college students in Illinois and encourage Illinois residents to attain a college degree, state appropriated funds are to be used to enable Illinois public universities to establish a merit-based, means-tested award programs customized for their own campus.

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Project-Specific Terms a) The grantee shall be responsible for administering and making awards to students in compliance with the AIM HIGH Rules and the policies of the university campus. 1. For its own awards using its AIM HIGH allocation, a public university campus shall: A. establish the amount of the award based on an individual or broad basis in compliance with the AIM HIGH Rules; B. establish reasonable criteria consistent with eligibility criteria in the AIM HIGH Rules; C. use grant funds solely to fund awards of non-loan financial aid at that Grantee's campus during the academic year, not including summer terms; D. renew the award each year for each student who meets the renewal criteria established by the public university campus consistent with the renewal eligibility criteria in Section 2766.50 of the 23 Ill. Ad min. Code in amounts not less than the amount provided in the student's first year at that university campus per the AIM HIGH Rules; E. give preference to eligible renewal applicants in any academic year funding is insufficient to award to all eligible applicants; F. use its best efforts to delegate grant funds amongst a racially diverse range of students and not use a student's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information to disqualify him or her from receiving an AIM HIGH award; G. post on its website the criteria and eligibility requirements and the amount of the AIM HIGH award and provide that information to ISAC and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to post on their respective websites; H. indicate in each initial student award application the renewal criteria for each academic year and not change those criteria for that recipient; and I. make each renewal award contingent upon the availability of funding for the academic year in which the award is used. 2. Grantee shall be responsible for meeting its statutorily-mandated matching requirement and Maintenance of Effort (MOE) pursuant to the AIM HIGH Rules. b) By June 15, 2024, in a format determined by !SAC, Grantee shall report the information in Exhibit E to !SAC. c) The sharing and reporting of student data shall be in accordance with the requirements under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the Illinois School Student Records Act. All parties shall preserve the confidentiality of the information as required by law. The names of the student award recipients are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. d) An eligible student applicant for funding from an AIM HIGH allocation shall: 1) have attended an Illinois high school; 2) be engaged in a program of study (i.e. course) that in due course will be completed by the end of the school year; 3) complete an application for the award no later than 12 months from the last date of the school year within which the coursework was completed; 4) apply to be enrolled for the first time at the public university campus where the award will be used; and 5) meet all the student eligibility qualifications and requirements under the AIM HIGH Rules before receiving an award. e) In order to meet the eligibility qualifications and requirements, an award recipient shall: 1) be a resident of Illinois and a citizen or eligible noncitizen of the United States; 2) file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and demonstrate financial need with a household income no greater than 6 times the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2); The household income of the applicant at the time of initial application shall be deemed to be the household income of the applicant for the duration of the pilot program. 3) meet the minimum cumulative grade point average or ACT or SAT college admissions test score, as determined by the public university campus; 4) be enrolled in a participating public university campus as an undergraduate student on a fulltime basis; 5) have not yet received a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours; 6) not be incarcerated; 7) not be in default on any student loan nor owe a refund or repayment on any State or federal grant or scholarship; and 8) meet any other reasonable criteria, as determined by the public university campus. f) An AIM HIGH funded award recipient who meets the eligibility criteria for renewals shall be eligible for an AIM HIGH renewal award in subsequent academic years, the criteria for which shall be determined by the public university campus consistent with the criteria in the AIM HIGH Rules. 1) AIM HIGH funded award renewal amounts shall be in an amount not less than the AIM HIGH funded amount from the renewal applicant's first year of attendance at the university campus, unless there is a reduction due to changes in the student's cost of attendance, included but not limited to: A) a reduction in credit hours in which he or she is enrolled, but remains a full-time student; or B) switching to a course of study with a lower tuition rate. g) An AIM HIGH funded award recipient under the AIM HIGH Rules or a renewal applicant thereof shall be eligible for non-loan financial aid in the amount determined by the public university campus during the academic year, not including summer terms and shall be eligible to receive other financial aid. h) The total amount of the AIM HIGH funds awarded to a qualified recipient in a given academic year when added to other financial aid available to the qualified recipient for that year shall not exceed the total cost of attendance. j) Applicants eligible for an award using matching requirement funds must meet the criteria in paragraph e) of PART THREE of this Agreement. Renewal availability and eligibility criteria shall also be determined by the public university campus as required by paragraph (e).

Other;

Illinois Public Universities A public university applicant is eligible to apply for and receive an allocation of an appropriation of AIM HIGH funds if it: 1) submits a timely and complete application that includes a description of the award to be funded with AIM HIGH funds that meet program eligibility criteria in Section 2766.50(a), (b) and (c) to be used solely for non-loan financial aid at that university or university campus during the academic year, not including the summer term; 2) certifies, during the academic year for which the AIM HIGH funds are requested, it shall, in addition to meeting its MOE requirement, make a good faith effort to meet its matching requirement; 3) certifies the total amount of its baseline awards; 4) certifies that, during the academic year for which the AIM HIGH funds are requested, it shall, in addition to awards made for the matching requirement, make a good faith effort to award qualifying non-loan financial aid to its Illinois resident undergraduate students, not including AIM HIGH funded awards, in an amount: A) that is at least equal to its baseline awards; or B) if enrollment is less than in academic year 2017-18, not including the summer term, that total amount calculated on a per student basis; 5) has met all information reporting requirements in Section 2766.40(c); 6) has not been suspended or disqualified from receiving an allocation for the upcoming academic year; and 7) enters into an AIM HIGH Grant Agreement with ISAC.

Illinois Public Universities

Formula Grants

Education

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For renewal applications, in addition to complying with subsection (a), the public university campus shall: 1) demonstrate that it met its matching requirement and MOE in the previous academic year; 2) in any academic year the public university campus fails to meet its entire matching requirement, demonstrate that it made a good faith effort to meet its matching requirement to be eligible for an allocation that is necessary to fund only renewal AIM HIGH funded awards in the academic year following the next allocation determination. 3) in any academic year the public university campus fails to make its entire MOE, demonstrate that it made a good faith effort to make it to be eligible for: A) 100% of its allocation of AIM HIGH funds in the next allocation distribution if, in the preceding academic year, the public university campus made its entire MOE; B) 90% of its allocation of AIM HIGH funds in the next allocation distribution if it is the second consecutive academic year the public university campus fails to make its entire MOE; and C) an amount in the next allocation determination that is necessary to fund only renewal AIM HIGH funded awards when it is the third or more consecutive academic year that the public university campus fails to make its entire MOE.

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An effort to increase enrollment of Illinois residents at Illinois public universities, increase overall retention of Illinois college students in Illinois and encourage Illinois residents to attain a college degree, state appropriated funds are to be used to enable Illinois public universities to establish a merit-based, means-tested award programs customized for their own campus.

https://www.isac.org/e-library/documents/administrative-rules/2023-24-ISAC-Rules/2766-AIMHIGH.pdf AIM HIGH is exempt from the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (30 ILCS 708) because the authorizing statute designates funding is to be paid directly to grantees (IL public universities).

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https://www.isac.org/aim-high

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12/28/2021

FY 2019 : $25,000,000
FY 2020 : $35,000,000
FY 2021 : $35,000,000
FY 2022 : $35,000,000
FY 2023 : $35,000,000
FY 2024 : $50,000,000
FY 2025 : $50,000,000