The 5 percent reduction in MAP grant awards affecting students for the past two years will continue to fiscal year 2014.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission approved a 5 percent reduction factor in anticipation that funding would be lower than $317 million in FY13, according to its Jan. 24 meeting minutes.

The commission set the maximum award for FY14 at $4,720.

Jerry Donna, the director of financial aid, said the award was higher in FY10, and when that amount was suddenly reduced by 2.5 percent, Eastern spent about $300,000 to cover the difference.

Since then, the award has been 5 percent below what it was in 2010.

The commission’s agenda states the reduction factor is intended to decrease the likelihood of an earlier suspense date, or the date students applying for FAFSA are waitlisted because there is no more money available.

Over the years, the suspense date has been set earlier. Last year the date was set in March then extended to April, while back in 2002 it was in October.

In FY13, MAP grants covered about 37 percent of tuition costs at public universities, while in FY02 they covered 100 percent.

Paul McCann, the university treasurer, said the reduction factor might not help depending on how much would be available in the financial aid budget.

“If that money goes down, then I don’t know whether a reduction of 5 percent per each grant really helps because you don’t have near as much money to distribute,” he said. “I would say that without knowing where the money is going to go, making those kinds of decisions are rather premature.”

McCann said MAP funds had been increasing since President Barack Obama made higher education one of his priorities.

“With the stimulus money he increased the amount of federal award money available,” he said. “That trickled down and came down to the state, and they put more money into MAP moneys at the state level.”

He said there is less money available now at the state and federal level than in 2009 because there is less stimulus money.

McCann said the commission functions as an agency that reports to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, who would then propose a budget for FY14 to the governor.

Stephanie Markham can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].