The state recently released a survey showing that many colleges won’t credit MAP grants for low-income students this spring semester. But those Monetary Award Program students aren’t the only ones whose grants have gone away.
When a police officer, firefighter or prison guard is killed or disabled in the line of duty, the state promises to provide their dependents with a college education. But the budget impasse has put that promise on hold, says Eric Zarnikow, director of the Student Assistance Commission.
“They’re actually eligible for grants that pay the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees. So if there’s not enough money to pay in full, then we pro-rate the award. The challenge is: We don’t know what the appropriation is, so until we know how much money there is, we can’t actually make the awards.”
Likewise, almost 800 future school teachers who depend on state scholarships of approximately $4,000 per year aren’t receiving their promised funding.
As with the MAP grants, some schools may opt to front the money for students, or work with them to find other sources of funding.
