In an effort to help students with financial aid, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Wednesday afternoon during his budget address his plans to enhance the Monetary Assistance Program and his proposals of $187 million in investments for universities and community colleges in Illinois.

MAP restructuring will affect the way a student’s eligibility is determined. Previously, students had a better chance of receiving funding if they attended private schools with higher tuition rates.

Under the new system, students have an equal footing in receiving funding regardless of the amount of money needed.

“Students should be allowed to attend any school they want, but by giving extra money to students attending private colleges, we’re taking that money away from other students who need help paying for college,” Blagojevich said in his address.

A new cap of about $12,000 per year of grants will be set if the new initiative takes hold, said Linda Dersch, a senior assistant director in the NIU Student Financial Aid Office. NIU’s tuition rate averages $9,935, which falls below the limit the initiative would support.

Dersch is part of the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, an advisory committee to the Illinois Student Advisory Committee. She said ISAC made recommendations to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, which is the source of Blagojevich’s new plan.

In addition to the MAP grant change, recommendations were made to reduce and “beef up” university programs, Dersch said. She said she was uncertain which programs will be cut.

Blagojevich also proposed a $26 million cut in administrative costs, another issue that was submitted to Blagojevich by the IBHE in consultation with the nine Illinois public universities.

Restructuring the MAP grant program would change the old 60-unit system to a system based on a 135-paid-credit-hour cap, Dersch said. If a student takes the standard 15 credit hours a semester, he or she theoretically will qualify for nine semesters of grants.

The amount of the award is based on 15 credit hours per semester, with a sliding scale determined by hours taken, Dersch said. For example, a student taking 12 hours would receive 12/15 of the award for that semester.

Awards max out after 15 hours, Dersch said. Students taking more than 15 hours do not receive more money.

“If a student really focuses, he or she should have enough grants to graduate,” Dersch said. Also, if a student enters the 10th semester with 134 credit hours, he or she still qualifies for the full award, Dersch added.