JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

2023-24 Golden Apple Payment Implementation

09/12/2023

Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).

This message provides information regarding the 2023-24 payment cycle for the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program.

2023-24 Golden Apple First-Term Payment Requests Being Accepted

Initial payment request records are now available online via the Golden Apple system, allowing 2023-24 Golden Apple payment processing to commence.

In order to be considered timely, first-term payment requests for the 2023-24 Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program must be submitted on or before Friday, December 29, 2023. Colleges are always encouraged to submit payment requests as soon as they are able to do so.

Processing Reminders

  • By submitting a Golden Apple payment request, the institution is certifying that the Scholar is enrolled and continues to meet all eligibility requirements.
    • If not submitting a payment request, the institution reports the reason for the student's ineligibility.
  • The Golden Apple payment request process includes colleges providing each Scholar's academic level (e.g., Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior) via the "Academic Level" field.
    • As stated in an August 31 e-Message, verification of the "Year in Program" value is part of the initial certification process completed by the Golden Apple Foundation.
    • Each Golden Apple recipient's maximum annual award amount is based on the number of years that they have been a Golden Apple Scholar (i.e., "Year in Program"), not their academic level in college.
  • Submitting Golden Apple payment requests is a two-step process, which involves generating the request (either individually or in a batch) and then submitting the request.
  • Payment functionality is available each day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (CT).
    • Payment requests submitted by 7 p.m. (CT) will be included in that night's processing, with payment results available the next business day.
    • Results for payment requests submitted after 7 p.m. (CT) will be included in the following night's processing.
  • Results for payment requests received are provided via the Golden Apple system.
    • The Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the Report tab in the Golden Apple system the day after a payment request has been processed.
      • The report includes Payment Results, Payment Exceptions and Invoice Detail about the payment claim.
      • Be sure to review the report to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.
  • The disbursement of funds is processed by the State of Illinois Comptroller's Office.
  • Because Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program, refund checks should not be sent for cancellations/adjustments made throughout the award year.
    • Funds should only be returned to ISAC after a final reconciliation has been completed at the end of the regular school year.

Resources Available Online

Watch for Future Updates

Future program updates will be announced via ISAC's usual means of communication (e.g., the FAA Message Board, the Golden Apple Program News page, and/or this e-Messaging system.

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.