Hundreds Descend Upon State Capitol to Tell Legislators, “Higher Education Works for Illinois”

Nearly 400 students, professors, university staff, community members, and advocate organizations gathered at the Illinois State Capitol on Thursday, April 16, for the 2026 Higher Education Advocacy Day, to push for meaningful change in Illinois’ higher education system.

Throughout the day, advocates met with elected officials to spotlight how investing in students and public universities fuels opportunity, strengthens communities, and drives the state forward. Two primary goals of this year’s Advocacy Day were:

Accelerating momentum to pass the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities Act (SB 13 / HB 1581), which will reverse decades of underfunding and provides the resources required for providing higher education opportunities to Illinois’ students.
Calling on legislators to invest an additional $71 million for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) to help expand access, affordability, and equity in higher education.

The highlight of the day was the Higher Education Advocacy Day Rally in the Capitol Building rotunda, where advocates and lawmakers alike stood united, making it clear: Illinois deserves a fully-funded higher education system that stops sending students out of the state, families into debt, and professors and university staff out of their professions.

This year’s Advocacy Day was brought together by a dynamic group of these organizing partners: