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Simon Visits NIU To Discuss College Affordability

illinois.gov

Illinois' Lieutenant Governor visited Northern Illinois University Friday. It's part of her effort to raise awareness about the affordability of higher education.

Sheila Simon says one thing she's noticed is that more students are working a lot of hours just to able to stay in college. She says that means the some might miss out on opportunities that other students are experiencing.

Simon says one solution might be to bring some changes to how MAP grants are awarded, to improve distribution equity.

She's also calling for a requirement that schools publish "choice reports."

"It would be a standardized label so that students can compare institutions. How much are their tuition fees and costs?" Simon said.

As part of this effort, Simon is touring all of the state's public universities this fall.

Last year, Simon toured all of the state's community colleges. That effort was aimed at improving graduation rates at two-year institutions.