Higher education leaders across the state applauded Governor JB Pritzker’s budget announcement, which includes a fiscal year 2025 higher education budget of $2.55 billion. The budget includes a $10 million increase for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), a $24.6 million increase for public universities, and a $5.9 million increase for community colleges. The governor’s budget an increase of $10 million for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), bringing the total MAP appropriation to $711 million. This supports the goal of increasing funding for MAP to $1 billion within 10 years as set out in the strategic plan for higher education in 2021. From 2019 to the fiscal year 2025 additional proposed funding for MAP, the governor has championed a 77 percent increase in MAP. The historic increases in MAP over the last five years have made significant inroads in affordability, increasing the size and expanding the number of grants for students from low-income households statewide. Highlights include:

• $10 million increase for MAP

• $24.6 million (2 percent) increase for public universities general operations

• $5.9 million (2 percent) increase for community colleges

• $940,000 (3.8 percent) increase for the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy