Governor JB Pritzker’s announced his plan to invest in higher education, which includes a fiscal year 2024 higher education budget of $2.47 billion, an increase of $219 million (9.7 percent) compared to the previous fiscal year. Notable highlights from the budget include a $100 million increase for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), an $80.5 million (7 percent) increase for public universities, $19.4 million (7 percent) increase for community colleges and a $2.8 million increase to the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program (MTI) to recruit and retain minority teachers. The governor’s plan to increase MAP funding by $100 million takes another giant step toward ensuring higher education is affordable for students across Illinois, a crucial strategy in the state’s strategic plan for higher education, A Thriving Illinois. The governor and General Assembly have worked together to increase MAP funding by more than $200 million since Governor Pritzker took office. The proposed increase would appropriate $701 million for MAP – putting the state closer to its MAP funding goal. Highlights of Governor Pritzker’s fiscal year 2024 budget include:

• $100 million increase for MAP

• $1 million for data center curriculum development

• $3.2 million for a new community college Dual Credit Grant program

• $2.0 million to provide grants and supports to End Student Housing Insecurity