JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Illinois Residency Requirements for MAP

{ISAC Rules, Sections 2700.20, 2700.50 and 2735.20}

Residency Requirements

Illinois Residency Documentation

Frequently Asked Questions - Illinois Residency and Verification

Residency Requirements

All recipients of the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant must be residents of the State of Illinois. It is the college or university’s responsibility to ensure that all MAP recipients meet the Illinois residency requirements.

Please note: in some instances, Illinois undocumented students and transgender students who are not eligible for federal financial aid [and do not file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®)] may apply for a State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant using the online Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, which is patterned after the FAFSA. More information is available at the RISE Act page of this website. For those students, references to the FAFSA throughout this page also apply to the Alternative Application.

Dependent Students

For a dependent student to be considered an Illinois resident in order to receive a grant:

  • the parent of the dependent student who is required to complete the FAFSA must physically reside in Illinois and Illinois must be their true, fixed, and permanent home.
  • if Illinois becomes the parent's true, fixed, and permanent home after the initial FAFSA is filed, the student's and the parent’s state of legal residence and permanent mailing address must be corrected to indicate Illinois on the Student Aid Report (SAR)/Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). The corrections must be received by ISAC while data is still accepted and processed for the applicable academic year.

Note: It is the college or university’s responsibility to verify any dependent student for whom conflicting information surfacing pertaining to the parent state of legal resident, as well as any student whose dependency status changes from “dependent” to independent” during the award year would be required to complete verification of their Illinois residency.

Independent Students

For an independent student to be considered a resident of Illinois they must have physically resided in Illinois (at the time of application), and have so resided for 12 continuous full months immediately prior to the start of the academic year for which assistance is requested and Illinois must be their true, fixed, and permanent home.

Example: An independent student attending an institution with an academic year starting on August 9, 2021, must have resided in Illinois from August 9, 2020 through August 8, 2021.

Armed Forces and Foreign Missionary Students

U.S. Armed Forces members and foreign missionaries qualify as Illinois residents if they:

  • physically resided in Illinois immediately prior to entering the U.S. Armed Forces (missionaries must reside in Illinois for six continuous months prior to entering missionary service);
  • return or plan to return to Illinois within six months of the conclusion of service; and
  • can demonstrate that their domicile was Illinois throughout such service.

A foreign missionary is an individual who is assigned duty outside the United States by an organization that engages in educational, philanthropic, humanitarian, or altruistic works. The missionary organization must have been engaged in placing foreign missionaries for at least five years and must be exempt from the payment of federal taxes. Some examples of such organizations include the Peace Corps and the Evangelical Alliance Mission.

Applicants who are dependents of U.S. Armed Forces members or foreign missionaries will be considered an Illinois resident if their parent(s) meets the Illinois residency requirements listed in this section.

Applicants who are the spouses of U.S. Armed Forces members or foreign missionaries must demonstrate that their absence from Illinois was the result of residing with a spouse during the period of service outside the state, and must also demonstrate that their domicile continues to be Illinois.

Additional Requirements & Reminders:

  • Applicants who cease to be Illinois residents after MAP award notification may complete the academic year with the awarded grant. Example: If a dependent student's parent(s) moves out of state after completing the FAFSA and have received notification of MAP eligibility, the student remains eligible for MAP for the balance of that award year, assuming the student continues to meet all other eligibility requirements.
  • The school has information which indicates the applicant may not be a resident of Illinois. If a school has conflicting information about an applicant's residency, the school must resolve this discrepancy prior to delivering MAP funds. The requirement to resolve conflicting information is separate from the Federal Verification requirement and supersedes all verification rules.

Exceptions to Verifying Illinois Residency

  • An institution is not required to verify residency if:
    • the applicant received payment of a MAP award during the previous academic year; or,
    • the applicant was enrolled in an ISAC-approved MAP institution or an ISAC-approved Illinois high school for the preceding consecutive 12 months prior to the start of the academic year for which assistance is requested.

Illinois Residency Documentation

The following are examples of documents that may be collected for verification of Illinois residency. For an independent student, the documentation must indicate that the student resided in Illinois for the relevant 12 continuous, full months prior to the beginning of the school's academic year. The institution may choose to request documents that are in addition to, or instead of, those listed below:

  • Parent's (or student's, if independent) valid State of Illinois income tax return or federal tax transcript;
  • Illinois high school or Illinois college transcript;
  • Illinois driver's license;
  • Utility or rent bills in the applicant’s (or parent's) name;
  • Illinois auto registration card;
  • Wage and tax statements (IRS Form W-2);
  • Statement of benefits history from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services;
  • Residential lease in the applicant's (or parent’s) name;
  • Statement of benefits from the Illinois Department of Employment Security;
  • State of Illinois Identification Card issued by the Secretary of State;
  • Statement of benefits from the Social Security Administration;
  • Illinois voter's registration card;
  • Property tax bill; or
  • IRS Form 1099-Miscellaneous Income Statements.

If a student is a resident of Illinois, but the institution cannot determine this fact, the student or the institution may verify residency through ISAC’s appeal process.