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90_HB3155
New Act
Creates the College Level Illinois Merit-Based (CLIMB)
Scholarship Act to be administered by the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission. Provides for the award, beginning
with the 1999-2000 academic year, of undergraduate
scholarship awards for use at public institutions of higher
education located in the State. Provides that the awards may
be for up to 2 years if used at public community colleges or
for up to 4 years if used at other public institutions of
higher education. Establishes criteria for the initial award
and for renewal of the scholarships, including the
requirements that a recipient earn a cumulative B average in
core academic courses while in high school and, while in
college, maintain a cumulative B average in order to renew
the award. Provides that the annual amount of a scholarship
shall be equal to the costs of tuition and mandatory fees for
a full-time undergraduate student at the public institution
of higher education at which the scholarship recipient is
enrolled (or for an amount not exceeding one-half that cost
for a part-time student so enrolled). Requires CLIMB
scholarship applicants to apply for other State and federal
financial assistance, and reduces the amount of a CLIMB
scholarship by the amount of such other financial assistance
that the applicant receives. Effective January 1, 1999.
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1 AN ACT to establish the College Level Illinois
2 Merit-Based Scholarship Program.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
6 College Level Illinois Merit-Based Scholarship Act.
7 Section 5. Creation of program. The Illinois College
8 Level Merit-Based Scholarship Program (hereinafter sometimes
9 referred to as the "CLIMB Scholarship Program") is hereby
10 created under which scholarships are to be awarded annually,
11 beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year.
12 Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
13 "Regular undergraduate program" means an academic program
14 of study in a public institution of higher education at or
15 below the baccalaureate level leading to either an
16 associate's degree or bachelor's degree.
17 "Public institution of higher education" has the meaning
18 ascribed to that term in Section 1 of the Board of Higher
19 Education Act.
20 Section 15. Program administration. The CLIMB
21 Scholarship Program shall be administered by the Illinois
22 Student Assistance Commission, which shall publicize the
23 availability of scholarships under the program. All
24 applications for scholarships to be awarded under this Act
25 shall be made to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
26 in a form prescribed by the Commission, and shall be
27 accompanied by such supporting documents as the Commission
28 requires to determine the scholarship eligibility of
29 applicants.
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1 Section 20. Scholarship eligibility. Each recipient of
2 a CLIMB Scholarship shall:
3 (1) be a resident of the State who graduates from a high
4 school located in the State;
5 (2) possess a cumulative grade point average, computed
6 after the first semester of his or her senior year in high
7 school, of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in
8 core academic curriculum classes in English, Mathematics,
9 Science, and Social Studies, as calculated and indicated on
10 the recipient's transcript from a high school located in this
11 State;
12 (3) apply for such State and federal higher education
13 student financial assistance as the Illinois Student
14 Assistance Commission may by rule require for persons
15 applying for scholarships under this Act;
16 (4) be accepted for admission into the regular
17 undergraduate program of a public institution of higher
18 education;
19 (5) enroll as a full-time or part-time undergraduate
20 student at a public institution of higher education within
21 one year of graduating from a high school located in this
22 State or, failing to do so, provide evidence satisfactory to
23 the Illinois Student Assistance Commission of extenuating
24 circumstances; and
25 (6) while enrolled as a full-time or part-time
26 undergraduate student at a public institution of higher
27 education, meet the criteria established by Section 25.
28 Section 25. Scholarship terms. A recipient of a CLIMB
29 Scholarship may hold the award for 2 academic years (for a
30 recipient using the award at a public community college
31 located in this State) or 4 academic years (for a recipient
32 using the award at a public institution of higher education
33 other than a public community college) if the recipient:
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1 (1) continues to be a resident of this State;
2 (2) continues to be a full-time or part-time student at
3 a public institution of higher education, as such full-time
4 or part-time status is determined under rules that the
5 Illinois Student Assistance Commission promulgates for
6 purposes of this Act;
7 (3) upon completion of the recipient's freshman year,
8 has achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0
9 on a 4.0 scale and maintains this minimum cumulative grade
10 point average throughout the remainder of the award; and
11 (4) in the judgment of the public institution of higher
12 education in which the recipient is enrolled, is taking
13 courses that constitute requirements for and is making
14 satisfactory progress toward an associate's degree (in the
15 case of a recipient who is enrolled in a public community
16 college located in this State) or a bachelor's degree (in the
17 case of a recipient who is enrolled at a public institution
18 of higher education other than a public community college).
19 Notwithstanding the forgoing provisions of this Section,
20 the recipient of a CLIMB Scholarship whose cumulative grade
21 point average is less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of
22 his or her freshman year or at the end of any subsequent
23 semester or quarter shall no longer qualify to continue
24 receiving the award for the ensuing or any subsequent
25 semester or quarter; except that he or she may reapply for
26 the unused portion of his or her original CLIMB Scholarship
27 following the completion of the next semester or quarter when
28 his or her cumulative grade point average has risen to a
29 level of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
30 Section 30. Scholarship amount. If the recipient of a
31 CLIMB Scholarship does not qualify to receive any State or
32 federal financial assistance for which he or she is required
33 to apply as provided in paragraph (3) of Section 20, the
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1 amount of the recipient's award for the academic year shall
2 be equal to the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for a
3 full-time undergraduate student (or shall not exceed one-half
4 that cost for a part-time undergraduate student) at the
5 public institution of higher education at which the
6 scholarship recipient enrolls for that academic year. If the
7 recipient qualifies to receive other State or federal
8 financial assistance for that academic year, the amount of
9 the recipient's CLIMB Scholarship award for that academic
10 year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount of
11 such other State and federal financial assistance as the
12 recipient is to receive for that academic year.
13 Section 35. Payment of scholarships. Subject to a
14 separate appropriation made for purposes of this Act,
15 scholarship awards shall be paid and distributed by the
16 Illinois Student Assistance Commission through electronic
17 transfer directly to the public institution of higher
18 education at which the scholarship is to be used, in
19 accordance with such rules as the Commission shall promulgate
20 to administer the provisions of the CLIMB Scholarship
21 Program.
22 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect
23 January 1, 1999.