New grants available to IVCC students
By Brittany Muller
IV Leader Staff
Do you ever feel as though you work, work, and work some more only to find that you have hardly any money? As another semester proceeds, it is easy to feel bombarded with bills concerning tuition, books, transportation and application fees for other colleges or universities.
On the bright side, IVCC has many opportunities available for students who want to learn about financial aid. The financial aid office, attached to the lobby, and its staff will help you take advantage of these useful opportunities. There are two new grants available to IVCC students this semester.
This first grant is entitled the Academic Competitiveness Grant. Steve Crick, director of the financial aid office, explains through the grant “first year students may earn $750 a year and second-year students are available for $1,300 a year.” To apply, a student must complete the FAFSA form. To be considered for the Academic Competitiveness Grant, a student must be a U.S. citizen, enrolled full-time (12 credit hours or more), and must have graduated from a rigorous course of study at their previous high school.
Crick said, “this grant is for recent high school graduates. To be considered for the first-year student grant, one must have graduated on or after Jan. 1, 2006. A second-year applicant must have graduated on or after Jan. 1, 2005.” A student must also be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant to be awarded the Academic Competitiveness Grant.
The second grant, also new to IVCC, is entitled the MAP (Monetary Award Program) Plus Grant, which is processed through the state. An applicant must be a U.S. citizen, an Illinois resident and cannot be a recipient of the MAP Grant, not to be confused with the MAP Plus Grant. Also, an applicant must be a second-year student at IVCC, which means they must have 30+ credit hours towards their degree. IVCC recently learned that students had to fill out the FAFSA form by Sept. 18 to receive this grant. “The key to this grant is that an applicant must be a member of a family with an adjusted gross income less than $200,000,” explains Crick. “Many students qualify.”
For information, contact the Financial Aid office at 224-0438.