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Illinois Map Grant

The Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant is available from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to Illinois residents who are undergraduate students at an Illinois college who are enrolled in at least three (3) credit hours (1000-level or above and/or approved remedial courses). The MAP Grant is applied to in-district tuition and mandatory fees only and does not include class or lab fees. Students must list Illinois as their state of legal residence on their FAFSA to be processed for a MAP Grant.

To apply for an Illinois MAP Grant a student must first meet the following general eligibility requirements:

U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
Have received a high school diploma or GED
Be enrolled in classes leading to a U.S. Department of Education approved certificate or degree.
Not be in default on a Federal student loan
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
Have resided in the state of Illinois for at least one year prior to the start of the academic school year. You will be required to submit proof of your Illinois Residency before you are awarded an Illinois MAP Grant. For dependent students, your parent's must be Illinois residents.

Students should start the application process by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Unlike the Federal Pell Grant, there is only a limited amount of funds available for the Illinois MAP Grant. Students are strongly encouraged to file their FAFSA as soon after Jan. 1 as possible. Please refer to our Dates/Announcement page for deadline date information.

Notification of your award
You will receive notification that your financial aid award has been determined via your COD email address. Your complete Financial Aid Award Letter will be accessible in your myACCESS. Your MAP Grant award is based on 15 semester hours. If you do not register for 15 semester hours, your MAP award will adjust accordingly based on your actual number of hours registered. Students must register for a minimum of 3 semester hours. MAP grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly. Please be aware that in light of state funding constraints, reductions to estimated or actual MAP grant awards are possible.

75 MAP Paid Credit Hours
A MAP Paid Credit Hour is an equivalent number of credit hours of MAP benefits paid on your behalf. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission will track the number of MAP Paid Credit Hours you receive. Once you have reached 75 MAP Paid Credit hours, you must be classified as a Junior to continue receiving your MAP Award. Since College of DuPage is a two-year community college, once you have reached 75 MAP Paid Credit Hours, you will no longer be eligible to receive a MAP Grant at College of DuPage.

Important Note
If you are transferring from another college and have already reached the 75 MAP Paid Credit Hour limit, you will not be eligible for a MAP Grant at College of DuPage since we cannot classify students higher than a sophomore.

As always, contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance prior to dropping classes.