In an effort to help guarantee student success and access, Illinois College will honor Monetary Award Program grants and freeze tuition.
The Illinois College Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to those initiatives on Friday.
The decision will also freeze fees and room and board at the current amounts for the 2016-2017 school year.
Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a proposal last week to fund MAP grants, stating he didn’t see how the state could afford the cost.
A statement from Illinois College officials noted that, “At no point in the college’s 187-year history has there been a more tenuous time for families looking for college options in Illinois. By failing to pass a budget for Fiscal Year 2016, the State of Illinois has abdicated its responsibility to thousands of students. Families and students are working hard to make higher education a reality while the State’s continued budget impasses put their futures at risk by holding MAP grant funding hostage.”
Illinois College will replace the Illinois MAP grants with institutional funds for students, if the state does not cover the costs.
The initiatives in place by Illinois College apply to currently enrolled and new, incoming first-year and transfer students.