JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

2022-23 FAFSA Completion Initiative

10/14/2021

Effective today (Thursday, October 14, 2021), counselors at participating high schools may access their students' 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid completion data via the FAFSA Completion component of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs Access (GAP Access) portal.

All Illinois public high school students are required to complete either the FAFSA or the Alternative Application as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma. ISAC's FAFSA Completion Initiative is a resource that can help high schools monitor their students' compliance with this mandate.

Student Lists Now Available

Student lists, which are generated from spring 2021 college entrance exam records and then matched against FAFSA and Alternative Application data, are now appearing in the FAFSA Completion system for all participating Illinois high schools (public and private). New 2022-23 match data will be available weekly (on Monday mornings).

(Optional) Student Record Upload Function Available

Because records are available from ACT and SAT exams taken during the spring, high schools do not need to upload their list of 2022-23 seniors like they had to for the 2021-22 FAFSA Completion cycle. However, the Student Record Upload function does remain available for any high school choosing to use it. Remember that the Student Record Upload function is separate from the State Scholar File Upload process.

Note: If a high school opts to upload their list of seniors, the State Scholar student list initially provided based on ACT and SAT exam scores will be overlayed with the records uploaded by the high school.

New "Opt-Out" Box

A new "opt-out" box in the FAFSA Completion system allows high schools to indicate that the FAFSA mandate waiver provision has been exercised by a parent, guardian, or the student (if at least 18 years old or emancipated). While high schools still need to collect and retain the actual waiver documentation, this new feature serves as another tool in the process of tracking the application (FAFSA or Alternative Application) completion requirement.

Updated User Guide Available

The FAFSA Completion Initiative User Guide has been updated for the 2022-23 cycle, and includes information about the student list, the Student Record Upload option, and the new "opt-out" box.

Participation

Principals that have not already done so can sign up their respective high school for participation in ISAC's FAFSA Completion Initiative through our automated system at the GAP Access portal. Refer to the user guide for more information.

Reminder

In keeping with the goal of securing all confidential data, the principal of each high school is designated as that school's GAP Access Primary Administrator. While we understand principals are not usually involved in the day-to-day processes, we do require the current school principal to register and "activate" their own GAP Access account. If a high school has a new principal, they must have their own account.

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If you have any questions regarding this e-Message, please contact ISAC's School Services Department by calling toll free at 866.247.2172 or sending an e-mail message to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov.