Pritzker proposes $200M more in state education grants for Illinois college students

DeKALB – Gov. JB Pritzker made a stop in DeKalb on Thursday to tout a plan for funding more Illinois students in higher education, including at Northern Illinois University.

He presented his plan to budget for an additional $200 million in state education funding for grants that make college more affordable for students to address what he called an “exodus on young people” leaving Illinois.

“It’s no secret that for years our public universities became less and less affordable for working families across Illinois, and we had to do something about that to turn that around,” Pritzker said. “Our young people are looking to get a college education, and when it’s unaffordable, you’ve got to get up and leave and go to a place where people are providing you with enough resources and where it’s affordable enough. So I knew I had to get to work, and I did.”

In his 2023 budget proposal, Pritzker outlined a plan to increase Monetary Award Program funding by 50%, or $200 million. He told a crowd at NIU’s Barsema Alumni Center that the plan would put Illinois among the top five states nationwide for providing student aid for higher education.

MAP funding provides financial aid to Illinois residents who attend college in the state. They’re student loans that do not need to be repaid and don’t require high school grants or test scores to apply. Students eligible for MAP funding must live in the state and meet certain academic criteria while attending college.

The proposed increase would bring Pritzker’s budget MAP grant funding to $600 million statewide. He also proposed increasing funding to NIU directly by 5%, providing the university with an extra $4.3 million this fiscal year and next.

Several students, including Lorena Nava-Moyoti, Devlin Collins and Rebekah Gonzalez who spoke Thursday, said they’ve benefited from grant-funded education.

Gonzalez said that as long as she can remember, her family has experienced financial hardship. She said MAP funding allowed her to go to NIU.

“Things have gotten easier because I was accepted into my dream school,” Gonzalez said. “Things have gotten easier because I am able to attend a school that has provided enough funding where I don’t have to worry about having to pay anything out of pocket. … Without MAP funding, I would not have been able to pursue any of this … or here, where I can authentically be me.”

Pritzker said his plan also addresses access to higher education, a priority he’s outlined in his budget.

“The stronger our colleges and universities, the greater our prospects for economic growth and jobs, the more innovative and inclusive our future becomes,” Pritzker said. “Here in Illinois, we’re shaping a stronger future every single day.”

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes, who is an alumnus of NIU, said that having NIU in the community offers a significant benefit to local business revenue and workforce development.

“[Investing in higher education] makes our university more vibrant, more attractive, and have more students be able to come here,” Barnes said. “That impact is something I’m absolutely, 100% in support of, and I think the state of Illinois ... is going to have a return on that investment multiple times over.”

NIU President Lisa Freeman said consistent investments in higher education will create jobs in Illinois and transform communities.

“For some students, MAP funding is the key difference between going to college or not,” Freeman said. “The proposed increase in MAP funding for Fiscal Year [20]23 will provide more students with needed relief and expanded possibilities. ... Gov. Pritzker, on behalf of NIU, we appreciate your continued commitment to and confidence in higher education and how that’s reflected in your budget proposal.”