JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

2023-24 ECACE Scholarship Update: Prequalification Process on August 8

08/02/2023

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is sharing the following information to assist colleges in the administration of the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program. If you do not work directly with the ECACE Scholarship Program, please forward this message to the appropriate colleague(s) at your institution and encourage them to sign up for the "ECACE Administrators" e-Messaging subscription group.

Prequalification Process to Take Place on August 8

ISAC anticipates the process for determining students' prequalification status, based on the eligibility data reported by the applicants on their applications, taking place on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.

Reminders

  • A student's record will be considered prequalified if they have completed the online application process – which includes submitting a complete ECACE Scholarship Program application to ISAC and completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) that results in a valid expected family contribution (EFC) – and they meet all initial program eligibility requirements (i.e., requirements other than those that must be verified by the college).
    • As announced in a July 13 e-Message, colleges may view a listing of students who have completed the 2023-24 online application process by accessing the ECACE system and selecting the Student tab to display the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen.
  • After the prequalification process has run, the award data fields on the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen will be populated.
  • Applicants who are determined prequalified will be sent a Notice of Prequalified Eligibility by ISAC.
  • Further details about the prequalification process may be accessed via the ECACE Scholarship Program Prequalification area.
  • The ECACE User Guide, which may be accessed via the ECACE Electronic Processing page, will soon be updated to reflect the 2023-24 processing cycle.
  • The release of prequalified applicant data into the ECACE system provides a means by which this information may be shared with colleagues in other areas of the college who are working with prospective and current students.
    • Reports listing ECACE applicants may be generated and edited, and then made available to other departments at your institution.
    • All personally identifiable information (PII), such as an applicant's Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, and expected family contribution (EFC), should be removed from the report before the information leaves the financial aid office.
  • To ensure that the proper level of security is maintained for administering ISAC programs, school staff must have the appropriate level of access in order to view prequalification records.

Looking Ahead

  • 2023-24 ECACE Scholarship payment processing is anticipated to commence during the month of August 2023.
  • As additional information becomes available – including announcement of when 2023-24 payment requests are being accepted – it will be provided via ISAC's usual means of communication (i.e., the ECACE Scholarship Program News area, the FAA Message Board, and this e-Messaging system).

Join "ECACE Administrators" Subscription Group

If you work directly with your approved institution's administration of the ECACE Scholarship Program – or if you simply are interested in receiving general announcements and processing updates regarding the program – be sure to join the "ECACE Administrators" e-Messaging subscription group.

Existing e-Messaging subscribers may join this group by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" link that appears at the bottom of all ISAC e-Messages, selecting the "ECACE Administrators" group in the listing that appears, and then clicking on "Update Profile."

Individuals who may be interested in the "ECACE Administrators" group, but do not currently subscribe to ISAC's e-Messaging service, may sign up at the Financial Aid Administrators (FAAs) e-Messaging page.

You are receiving this message because you registered for ISAC's e-Messaging service through one or more subscription groups for FAAs.

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.