Monetary Award Program MAP Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive

Monetary Award Program (MAP) Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Program MAPnet February 2010

Program Participants Lists of the Illinois postsecondary schools that are approved to participate in each program are made available for each academic year.

Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant n n Need-based grant ISAC’s largest program Fourth largest of its kind in the country Annually awards more than $384 million

MAP Cycle n For Financial Aid Administrators n n n Start-up (Feb. ) Recompute (June – July) Payment and Reconciliation (Aug. – June) Year-End Close-Out (June – July) For Students n Academic year n n Paid for First Semester/Quarter (Fall) Paid for Second Semester/Quarter (Winter/Spring) Paid for Third Quarter/Late Second Semester (Spring) No Summer Payment

Student Eligibility Criteria n n n n Illinois resident Demonstrate financial need Undergraduate student who has not already received a bachelor’s degree Enrolled in a degree or certificate program at a ISACapproved school Enrolled for at least 3 credit hours throughout the school’s refund/withdrawal period Not be in default on a student loan or owe refund on a state or federal scholarship or grant Not be incarcerated

MAP Application Process n Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the application n Critical FAFSA data elements for MAP consideration n n State of residence – student and parent Grade level -- must be an undergraduate Degree information -- can’t have a bachelor’s degree or be working on a master’s School choice – must list at least one MAP-approved Illinois school

MAP Application Process n Students should apply as early as possible after January 1 n n Illinois date reworded on the 2010 -11 FAFSA Priority consideration dates for full-year award in Administrative Rules n August 15 for continuing applicants n n Students who applied for MAP in the previous school year September 30 for first-time applicants n Students who did not apply for MAP in the previous school year

MAP Formula n n Method used to distribute appropriated MAP funds Several factors are used to determine students’ MAP eligibility n n financial need cost of tuition and fees appropriations ISAC’s State and Federal Aid Estimator estimates MAP awards for students/parents

MAP Suspense n Point at which projections indicate appropriation will be exhausted n n n Depends on appropriation and number of eligible applicants Applies concurrently to first-time and continuing applicants Announcement of 2009 -10 MAP Grants was initially suspended for applicants whose initial FAFSA was received by CPS on or after May 15, 2009. n n Recently release some suspended records June 5, 2009 is current suspense date (on or after)

Residency Requirements n For a dependent student: n n The parent who is required to complete the FAFSA must physically reside in Illinois and Illinois must be his/her fixed and permanent home For an independent student: n n n Must reside in Illinois at the time of application Must have resided in Illinois for 12 continuous full months prior to the start of the academic year for which assistance is requested Illinois must be his/her fixed and permanent home

Student Notification n ISAC Letter n Sent to students who: n n n Reside in Illinois and Listed a MAP-approved school on their FAFSA Acknowledges receipt of the student’s application Provides a brief description of MAP Includes number of MAP Paid Credit Hours used Different versions sent based on eligibility n n 100, 200 – general acknowledgement 080, 081, 082 – ineligible 777 – shut down 888 -- suspense

Student Notification n ISAC Rights and Responsibilities n n n Explains MAP tracking and limits Provides Federal Student Aid and ISAC contact information Provides residency requirements

Student Notification n The school notifies students about: n MAP award amount n n n Must include specific language provided by ISAC to explain award estimations and how MAP usage is tracked Changes in eligibility status Ineligibility

MAP Benefits n Tuition & Mandatory Fees n n n Mandatory fees are those charged to each and every full-time student for each term For community college students, benefits are limited to in-district tuition and mandatory fees Remedial courses n n Eligible for MAP as long as student has been accepted into an eligible degree or certificate program and is taking the course(s) as part of that program Can receive benefits for one academic year (30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours)

MAP Benefits n Repeat courses n n Eligible for MAP Out of state and/or foreign study n n Student must be enrolled at a MAP-approved school Study must be applicable to degree or certificate program Course credits must be recorded on student’s academic transcript Limited to: n n two semesters/three quarters on full-time basis four semesters/six quarters on half-time basis

MAP Benefits n 2009 -10 maximum annual award is $4968 n Student’s calculated eligible amount is displayed in MAPnet n n Assumes full-time enrollment Payment amount is based on number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled n n Maximum of 15 hours paid per term Student receives 1/15 of their eligible award amount for each credit hour

MAP Benefits n MAP Paid Credit Hours (MPCH) n n n Method for tracking MAP usage Equivalent to 4½ years of full-time enrollment Can receive maximum of 135 MPCH n n Eligibility can be extended for one term if student has less than 135 but not enough left for credit hours enrolled Must reach junior level status to use more than 75 MPCH n n Grade level determined by the institution Eligibility can be extended for one term if student has less than 75 but not enough left for credit hours enrolled

MAP Benefits n MAP cannot be used for: n n n Audit courses Credit by examination and/or life experience courses Noncredit courses n Except for qualifying remedial courses

MAPnet n n www. mapnet. org MAPnet is the Internet application used for processing MAP and Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) grant programs Secure site; requires ID and password Color of MAPnet banner and log-on icons changes each year to match the FAFSA

Determining Award Amounts n n MAP Formula applied to students’ FAFSA data Results appear in MAPnet Components of the formula can be viewed on hand calculation worksheet Annual eligible award amount assumes full-time enrollment and is divided among appropriate number of terms

0 10 10 4302 10 10 1800 4302 10 4292 . 39 1. 49 6395. 08

4176 7496 4176 4050

Student Detail: Eligibility

Awarding MAP n If students are also eligible for the following programs, these must be factored into the award package before MAP: n n Illinois Veteran Grant Program Illinois National Guard Grant Program Grant for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver

School Notification to Student n Award letter should: n n include eligible award amount clearly identify award as State of Illinois MAP Grant include specific language provided by ISAC for each academic year Schools must also notify students of changes in eligibility status

MAP and College Illinois! n n College Illinois! also pays tuition and mandatory fees Students eligible to use College Illinois! and MAP have the following options: n n Use College Illinois! benefits at a later time Designate a different beneficiary for the contract Combine MAP and College Illinois! benefits up to the total of tuition and fees Request a refund for the value of benefits not needed as a result of the MAP grant

Verification n Students selected for federal verification must also be verified for MAP For purposes of ISAC programs, must verify Illinois residency When school certifies payment request, it is certifying that the student is an enrolled, eligible Illinois student meeting satisfactory academic progress

Verification n Residency n n Any conflicting data must be resolved Communicate with admissions/records office n n In-state tuition charge does not automatically mean that a student is an Illinois resident and eligible for ISAC programs Acceptable documentation for verifying Illinois residency listed in Administrative Rules; includes: n n n Income tax returns Illinois driver’s license Utility or rent bills n n n Illinois high school or college transcript Illinois auto registration card Illinois voter’s registration

Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access (IIA) Grant n n n Need-based grant program Requires completion of the FAFSA Available to freshmen with 0 EFC n n Grade level is determined by the institution General eligibility requirements, Illinois residency verification, payment process, etc. are patterned after the MAP process n n ISAC sends IIA information letter to students who indicate they are a freshman on the FAFSA School provides award amount information.

IIA Application Process n Complete the FAFSA n Critical FAFSA data elements are: n n n State of residence – student and parent Grade level -- must be an undergraduate (If this field is left blank, ISAC will assume a level of “ 2” for IIA purposes) Degree information -- can’t have a bachelor’s degree or be working on a master’s School choice – must list at least one MAP-approved Illinois school As with MAP, suspension can also occur n The announcement of 2009 -10 IIA Grants has been suspended for applicants whose initial FAFSA is received by the CPS on or after April 18, 2009.

IIA Student Benefits n Award amount, subject to appropriations: n $500 for applicants with 0 EFC n n For 2009 -10, appropriations only allow for $250 award, Fall term only Status for 2010 -11 is unknown n n At this time, ISAC is not sending IIA information to 2010 -11 applicants Award may be used for any cost of attendance expense

IIA Student Benefits n Payment is made in two disbursements n n n Institution must verify continued freshmen level status prior to requesting second disbursement Award is not prorated for less than full-time enrollment Students can only receive one IIA Grant n Students who received only one $250 disbursement in a previous school year may receive the additional $250 in the current school year if they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

MAP & IIA Payment n Payment requests are made to ISAC via MAPnet n n Payment is sent to the school on behalf of the student Schools may begin requesting payments 10 days prior to the start of the semester Payment comes from State Comptroller’s office Must meet MAP Payment Claim Deadline Dates n n n 1 st semester/quarter -- January 10, 2010 2 nd semester/quarter – April 1, 2010 3 rd quarter/2 nd semester when the 2 nd semester begins after February 15 – June 1, 2010

Available daily: 7 a. m. to 10 p. m.

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Requesting MAP & IIA Payment n Payment request process involves two steps: n Payment Generation n Payment Submission n Identify the student records for payment Indicate enrollment hours/status Send the identified records to ISAC Results are available the next business day MAPnet is available every day, 7 a. m. - 10 p. m. n Payment processing occurs Monday through Friday n Records submitted by 7 p. m. will be included in that night’s processing and results will appear in MAPnet on the next business day

MAP & IIA Payment Generation n Three ways to generate MAP payment requests n Two methods via MAPnet n Each student individually n n By batch (a group of students together) n n Most straightforward method, but can also be more time consuming Input Student Enrollment Hours Screen File Transfer Protocol (FTP) process n n n FTP is a standard for sending files over the Internet Schools use their own system to create a 160 byte flat file, password-encrypt the file, and transfer the file to ISAC via a secure FTP Web site File specifications can be found on College Zone

Generating Individual MAP Payment Requests n Access Student Detail Payment Screen n n From Student Detail Eligibility or Student Lists screens Complete required fields n n “Request” – select type of transaction “Enrollment Hours” – for the term n n Complete other fields if appropriate n n n Allows for five positions to accommodate fraction of an hour For semester schools valid values are 3 – 35 For quarter schools, hours entered will be applied to the school’s quarter hour conversion factor and results will be rounded up or down “Enrolled” – use only for graduating senior “Requested Amount” – calculated by the system; school can adjust Click on “Save Changes” button to generate request

Student Detail: Payment Screen

Generating Payments Using the Batch Process in MAPnet n n Best option when needing to generate requests for a large number of students Involves a few more steps than individual option Most time consuming part is identifying the records for payment All records selected in a particular batch must be attending same number of hours n Payment generation will have to be done multiple times to include all enrollment levels

Generating Payments Using the Batch Process n Selecting the records n n n Using Filter and Sort functionality, adjust your view of the Student List view to correspond to the institutional list you’ll use to identify students who are eligible for payment To shorten your list, select “Highest Transaction Only” and “Eligible Students Only” on the Filter Screen Locate students on your MAPnet list and click the Pay Sel button next to their name.

Generating Payments Using the Batch Process n Selecting the records n Click “Save” at the bottom of each screen before moving on. n n All entries will be lost if not saved before progressing to next screen Continue through all screens until Pay Sel has been checked for all students with the same number of enrollment hours

Generating Payments Using the Batch Process n To check your work before completing the generation step: n n n Return to Filter screen and take off Highest Transaction Only and Eligible Students Only filter. Turn on filter for Pay Selected Students Only. Click on View and you should then see only the students that have been selected for payment.

Generating Payments Using the Batch Process n To generate payment, click on Payment Generation tab on the Student List screen or on Generate Payment Requests in Table of Contents

Payment Generation Screen

Generating Payments Using the Batch Process n n n Identify Term, Academic Level and Program(s) for which payment request is being generated (for selected group of students) Indicate in Enrollment Hours field the number of hours that students in the batch are taking Leave Enrollment Code blank User Defined field is optional Click on “Generate”

Verifying Results n n To verify that results are as expected, request the MAP and IIA Payment Requests Not Submitted Report after generating payment requests, but before submitting them. After comparing the report data to your institutional records and making any necessary adjustments or corrections, the payment request should then be submitted to ISAC.

Submitting Payment Requests n Access the Submit Payment Requests screen from the Table of Contents

Payment Submission Screen n Use to submit payments created through Payment Detail or Payment Generation Screens Select appropriate fields Message will display when submission is complete

Verify Your Submission

Payment Results n Processing results are made available to institutions the next business day after requests have been submitted. n MAPnet is available 7 a. m. to 10 p. m. each day n n n To be processed for next day, must submit by 7 p. m. Payment processing occurs Monday through Friday. Results can be viewed on the individual Student Detail Screen, on the Student List: Payment Screen or in various MAPnet Reports

MAPnet Reports n Several reports available on request n n n Eligibility Payment Results Summary/Invoice Report is posted by ISAC

Payment Results Report n n This report displays payment results requested. One report is generated for MAP and one for IIA Available from the Payment Report screen. Intended to be used as a reference to verify payment results. n n n Enter a date range to limit the report to only records that fall within the date range indicated. If the date range boxes are left blank, the report will be generated for all payment results Should be run each time payment results are downloaded.

Payment Exceptions Report n n n Lists student records with a payment result that differs from its corresponding payment request. Review this report to determine if corrections to payment requests may be necessary for the students listed. The report is sorted for each MAP code by term, result code and name order. n n When multiple Payment Requests exist for the same Current SSN and term (e. g. , Payment Results being processed on multiple transactions), only the most recently processed Payment Result is reported. Only one Payment Result is reported per term for each Current SSN

Payment Results Summary/ Invoice Detail Reports n Compilation of four reports generated from ISAC’s mainframe. Reports included are: n n n Payment Results Report Exception Report (if there were exceptions) Results Summary (by term) Results Summary (all terms) These reports should be printed or downloaded each time the school submits payment requests. n Reports remain available in MAPnet for 14 calendar days after being generated. After that time, if a copy is needed, contact School Services.

Payment Results Summary/ Invoice Detail Reports n n Gives schools all the information needed to reconcile individual payments to a particular invoice. Information on the Payment Results Report should agree with the Payment Results Report generated in MAPnet for the same processing date. n n If it doesn’t, contact School Services for resolution. Available by clicking on Payment Results Summary/Invoice Detail in the Table of Contents n A list of reports generated within the last 14 calendar days will display on the screen.

Payment Results Summary/Invoice Detail Report

MAP & IIA Payment Process n n n Payment is made through an offset process New payment requests are compared to outstanding amounts owed to ISAC as a result of cancellations and adjustments made, and payment is made accordingly. Designed to accommodate the many changes in student eligibility that can occur during the awarding and disbursement of financial aid n Includes decreases, initial requests and full refunds

Maintaining Student Accounts n n Schools must credit a student’s account within 30 days of receiving their MAP funds Student adjustments or cancellations should be made in MAPnet on a regular, ongoing basis

Reconciling Records n Two aspects n n Individual student awards Fiscal year Schools must reconcile payments and make adjustments in MAPnet Refunds owed to ISAC must be returned within 30 days of the end of the school’s year n Checks should not be sent to ISAC during the school year

Student Award Reconciliation n n Compare results using MAPnet reports Award payments made in the name of one student cannot be applied to another n A cancellation must be done on the student who is not eligible and a new request must be submitted for the new student.

Fiscal Year Reconciliation n Review MAP and IIA Payment Results Summary/Invoice Detail Report prior to sending in a refund check. n Report is automatically adjusted whenever cancellations or adjustments are made by the school

Payment Results Summary/ Invoice Detail Report

Payment Adjustments n Access Payment Detail Screen n Make adjustment(s) and save changes n n Select Cancel option in “Request” field to cancel an award and change award amount to zero Select Payment option to adjust enrollment hours and/or award amount Status field will show “Updated” Access Submit Payment Screen n Complete required fields and submit n n n “Payment Submission Completed Successfully” should appear Status field on Student Detail Screen will show “Submitted” On the next business day, Status field will show “Processed” and “Process Date” will be listed

Student Detail: Payment Screen

Payment Adjustments n Each time a school submits a MAP or IIA cancellation or adjustment, the amount is compared to outstanding amount owed to ISAC and payment is made accordingly n n It is also reported on the Payment Results Reports. When adjustments or cancellations are made and there is still an amount due to ISAC indicated on the Payment Results Summary, then a positive invoice will not be generated, and the amount due will be adjusted.

Fiscal Year Reconciliation n Schools will receive a notice from ISAC in early June indicating refund amount due. Schools should wait until receiving notification to send refund checks to ISAC. A completed Check Return Form should accompany refund checks sent to ISAC along with documentation that clearly indicates the amount being returned for each student. n If one check is sent for MAP and IIA, two Check Return Forms should be completed.

MAP Budget Reporting n Schools report tuition and mandatory fees to ISAC each year n n Referred to as the MAP Budget Packet n n Budget information is due by June 1 preceding each academic year Information is used in the calculation of gift assistance benefits and for research purposes Schools must also submit a copy of their tuition refund policy with the budget packet

ISAC Program Review n Most Common Findings n n n Approved MAP and IIA Award Letter Language not being used Illinois residency not verified MAP reconciliation issues Overbilling Satisfactory academic progress either not in compliance or not monitored

MAP & IIA Resources n ISAC Administrative Rules n Published for each academic year n n General Provisions Monetary Award Program Grant Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access Grant College Zone n n FAA Zone, Gift Assistance MAPnet

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