ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 35, Number 6C
December 2025
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the December 2025 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout December.
The articles in this electronic Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.
Questions?
Questions regarding information in this electronic Communiqué can be directed to Partner Services by calling 866.247.2172 or sending an email message to [email protected]. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
2026-27 State Scholars Announced
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on December 15, 2025.
Links in this message go to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org) unless otherwise noted.
ISAC is pleased to announce that more than 19,100 qualified Illinois high school students have been designated as 2026-27 State Scholars. Information about the announcement process is below. You may scroll through this message, or click a link to go to a specific section:
| Generating Reports |
| Public Announcement of Scholars (Certificates of Achievement and Sample Press Release) |
| Student Notifications |
| Illinois State Scholar Badges |
| Corrections |
| Appeals Due by February 13, 2026 |
Instructions for generating reports of the school's State Scholar Finalists and Non-Finalists in the SSP system are provided in the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
Public Announcement of Scholars
(Certificates of Achievement and Sample Press Release)
- Remember that ISAC does not post the names of Illinois State Scholar Finalists on its website, due to the differences in policies among high schools regarding publishing student information online.
- You may generate the "Finalists" report in the SSP system by following the instructions provided on page 9 of the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
- If you do not have access to the SSP system, contact the principal to obtain a listing of State Scholar Finalists at your school.
- As was the case with the announcement of 2025-26 State Scholars, ISAC does not print Certificates of Achievement. Rather, Certificates of Achievement are printed by the high schools.
- Instructions for downloading and printing Certificates of Achievement are provided in the SSP Online Processing User Guide.
- A sample press release, which can further assist you in announcing State Scholars, may be accessed via the State Scholar Finalists page that is located within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
In past years, ISAC has mailed congratulatory letters directly to State Scholars. Unfortunately, recent changes in ACT and SAT data prevent us from obtaining mailing addresses for some students.
- For the current processing cycle (for students entering college in 2026-27), ISAC will print and mail State Scholar congratulatory letters to participating high schools.
- We anticipate mailing these letters to high schools during the week of December 15, 2025.
- We ask that you distribute the letters to your State Scholars in a manner that works best for your high school.
- Beginning with next year's cycle (for students entering college in 2027-28), ISAC will no longer print and mail congratulatory letters.
- High schools will access student notifications through the SSP system and share them with their State Scholars.
- Detailed instructions for accessing student notifications will be provided when this functionality becomes available.
Included in the congratulatory letter is information regarding a digital Illinois State Scholar badge issued by ISAC. The badge can be displayed on a State Scholar's online profiles and social media accounts, and shared with high school counselors, prospective colleges, employers, family members and others. Scholars may access their badges by visiting the ISAC Student Portal and then following the on-screen prompts. Complete instructions are available via the ISAC website at isac.org/SSPbadge.
Validating a Badge
Those with whom a Scholar shares their badge may wish to validate its authenticity. In order for them to do so, the Scholar will need to provide either a link (URL) to the badge or the badge ID.
- If the link (URL) has been provided: click on the link, which will launch the Badge Verification screen. The badge ID will automatically be populated, so they only need to click on "Check Badge ID."
- To verify a badge without the link (URL): the person will need to access the State Scholar Program Badge area (located within the Toolbox section of the ISAC Student Portal), click on "Badge Verification," enter the Scholar's badge ID, and then click on "Check Badge ID."
A validated badge will display "Badge ID is valid for: (FIRST NAME) (LAST NAME)."
- Changes to already-submitted data (for example, correcting the spelling of a name, or reporting that a student was designated as a State Scholar in error) must be submitted in writing to Partner Services via:
- a fax to 847.831.8549,
- an email to [email protected], or
- regular mail to our Deerfield address.
Appeals Due by February 13, 2026
Carefully review the sixth-semester roster data you submitted to ISAC, in order to ensure there are no errors in the announcement of 2026-27 State Scholars. To assist in the review, details regarding the State Scholar Selection Process are provided within the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
- If you feel that a student should have been designated as a State Scholar and was not, ISAC must receive a letter of appeal from the student and/or high school on or before the appeal deadline.
- Appeals regarding 2026-27 State Scholars will be accepted starting on Monday, December 15, 2025, and continuing through (including) Friday, February 13, 2026.
- Details regarding the appeals process are provided on the Appeals page of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.
- As you counsel students or parents with questions regarding the selection process, you may choose to share with them the student's GPA or class rank data that the high school submitted to ISAC, and explain how that information factors into the eligibility formula. The Formula Used to Determine State Scholar Eligibility resource may be accessed via the Students & Parents – State Scholar Program page.
November 2025 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on December 1, 2025.
The November 2025 edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org.This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a compilation of information provided to Counselor partners via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.
Topics covered in the November 2025 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Reminder: FREE ISAC Webinars!
(sent November 20, 2025) - Early Announcement of 2026-27 State Scholars Has Begun
(sent November 7, 2025) - Register Now – Success Network Conference
(sent November 5, 2025) - 2026-27 Financial Aid Application Completion Data Available
(sent November 4, 2025) - October 2025 ISAC Communiqué
(sent November 3, 2025)
Encourage Your Colleagues to Sign Up for e-Messaging
ISAC's e-Messaging service is our primary means of communicating information to Counselor partners.
Encourage your colleagues who have not done so to subscribe through the Counselors e-Messaging sign-up page at isac.org today, so that they won't miss future announcements or updates from ISAC.
