ISAC Student Portal2025-26 FAFSA, Alternative Application, and Important Dates
12/06/2024
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) would like to make you aware of the following information, which may be of interest to you and/or your students.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at ISAC's website (isac.org).
You may either scroll through the remainder of this message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to a specific section:
2025-26 (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026)
2024-25 (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025)
2023-24 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024)
General Information (Not Specific to One Academic Year)
2025-26 FAFSA and Alternative Application
The 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) cycle – including availability of the online FAFSA for all students – has opened, and the FAFSA Processing System (FPS) is transmitting 2025-26 FAFSA results (for the online FAFSA and paper/PDF FAFSAs) to colleges. Students (and any contributors, if applicable) who successfully submitted the 2025-26 FAFSA form during the fall 2024 beta testing period do not need to resubmit it.
Details regarding the 2025-26 application cycle may be accessed via the Applying for Financial Aid section of the e-Library for Partners.
The 2025-26 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) is also available (in English and Spanish). Further details are provided at ISAC's Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act page.
Encourage your students to check out the Financial Aid Planning area for information regarding resources that are available to help students complete the financial aid process.
Federal Student Aid 2025-26 FAFSA Webinar on December 10
Join Federal Student Aid staff on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, for a webinar designed to guide students (independent and dependent), parents and college/career professionals through submitting the 2025–26 FAFSA form. Help spread the word that online registration is now available for this free event.
MAP Processing Cycle
As was previously announced, at its September 19, 2024 meeting, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission approved a start-up formula for 2025-26 academic year Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants, with a maximum award of $8,400. Additional details regarding the formula are provided in a September 23 e-Message.
The 2025-26 Required School-Issued Award Notification Language is available on the MAP Award Announcements page, and the 2025-26 MAP 160-Byte File Layout Specifications document is available on the Electronic Tools page in the e-Library.
ISAC will announce when the 2025-26 MAP processing cycle has begun and 2025-26 MAP eligibility information is available in the MAP system.
2024-25 ISAC Administrative Rules
ISAC Administrative Rules for the 2024-25 academic year are available for reference at the ISAC website. The rules are accessible in two locations:
- in the e-Library, by clicking on #4, Administrative Rules, and
- in the About ISAC area, by clicking on Administrative Rules.
The online rules are posted in two formats: alphabetical by program and by program type/topic.
Continue Certifying iGROW Tech Scholarship Eligibility
Colleges are reminded to continue certifying eligiblility for 2024-25 Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Program awards using the iGROW system. In order to ensure qualified applicants are considered when awarding takes place, colleges are encouraged to complete and submit all certifications as soon as possible, and preferably before December 15, 2024. Further details are provided in a November 13 e-Message.
December 6: Fall-Term Claim Deadline Date for MAP
2024-25 MAP first-term payment requests (i.e., claims) are due on or before December 6, 2024.
When submitting claims, remember that ISAC has suspended the announcement of 2024-25 MAP grants for all students whose initial 2024-25 FAFSA is received by the federal processor, or whose initial Alternative Application is received by ISAC, on or after August 21, 2024.
Future updates – including, once determined, the claim deadline dates for subsequent terms – will be announced via our usual means of communication: the FAA Message Board; the MAP Program News page; and/or ISAC's e-Messaging system.
December 31: Fall-Term Priority Payment Request Date for ECACE Scholarship
Fall-term claims for the 2024-25 Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program are due on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
Further details are provided in a September 24 e-Message.
December 31: Fall-Term Priority Payment Request Date for MTI and Golden Apple
First-term claims for the 2024-25 Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship and Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois (Golden Apple) programs are due on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2024. Further details are provided in e-Messages dated September 19 (MTI) and September 11 (Golden Apple).
Future updates – including, once determined, the priority claim deadlines for subsequent terms – will be announced via our usual means of communication: the FAA Message Board; the MTI Scholarship and Golden Apple "Program News" pages; and/or ISAC's e-Messaging system.
Continue Certifying MTI Eligibility
Colleges are encouraged to continue certifying eligibility for 2024-25 MTI Scholars.
Further details are provided via the Certification Procedures for MTI page, the MTI User Guide, and an August 5 e-Message.
December 31: Fall-Term Priority Payment Request Date for Social Work Scholarships
2024-25 Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work Professional Educator License Scholarship payment requests for the fall term can be completed online and submitted electronically to ISAC via the Social Work Scholarship Program (SWSP) system. The priority payment request deadline for the fall term is Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
December 31: Fall-Term Date for Timely Reporting of Benefit Usage for IVG and ING Grant
An August 13 e-Message announces that ISAC is accepting fall-term benefit usage data for the 2024-25 Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant programs.
To be considered timely, IVG and ING Grant benefit usage data for the fall term is due on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
Benefit usage data for the IVG and ING Grant programs is submitted to ISAC by colleges via the benefit usage functionality within each program's system, allowing colleges to report enrollment hours and dollar amounts for initial, in-district and out-of-district benefit usage by students, as well as adjustments to previously-submitted data. Even though ISAC may not be able to fully reimburse institutions for 2024-25 IVG or ING Grant awards, reporting of benefits used must still take place so that usage can be accurately reflected on students' accounts.
March 1: Spring-Term Application Deadline for Grant Programs for Dependents of Police, Fire, or Correctional Officers
March 1, 2025 is the spring- and summer-term application deadline for the 2024-25 Grant Programs for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers. Applications received after March 1 will be considered for summer term only awards.
March 1: Spring-Term Application Deadline for the Displaced Energy Worker Dependent Transition Scholarship Program
March 1, 2025 is the spring- and summer-term application deadline for the 2024-25 Displaced Energy Worker Dependent Transition Scholarship Program. Applications received after March 1 will be considered for summer term only awards.
December 31: Enrollment Verification Data for ISAC-Administered Teacher Education Programs Due
ISAC is accepting 2023-2024 enrollment verification data for students who previously received funds from the following ISAC-administered teacher programs:
- Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program
- MTI Scholarship Program
- Optometric Education Scholarship Program (OESP) (as a reminder, OESP awards are available only for students attending the Illinois College of Optometry)
Further details and instructions regarding the enrollment verification process are provided in a November 4 e-Message, and via the resources listed below:
- Enrollment Status Verification
- Enrollment Status Verification for the Teacher Programs User Guide
- Program Service Requirements
Register for 2025 Success Network Conference
Registration is now open for the 12th annual College Success Network conference – Building the Future We Want: Increasing Equitable Postsecondary Attainment – being held on February 25, 2025, at I Hotel & Illinois Conference Center in Champaign. Further details, including access to online registration, are provided in a November 15 e-Message.
December Webinars for FAAs
ISAC will offer the following webinars for financial aid administrators during the month of December.
- Tuesday, December 10, 10 a.m. – A Review of ISAC’s Loan Repayment/Forgiveness Programs
- Wednesday, December 18, 2 p.m. – Monthly Operational Update and Program News*
To participate, visit the Partner Training page in the e-Library on the day of the event to access the webinar link and presentation materials.
*Note that this webinar is one week earlier than our usual schedule, due to the Christmas holiday.
April 17: Next Commission Meeting
The next meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Further details, including a listing of tentative agenda items, will be available prior to the meeting via the ISAC's Governing Board: The Commission section of the About ISAC area.
Visit the Commission Meeting Schedule page for information regarding all meetings scheduled in 2025.
Holiday Schedules
ISAC staff will be unavailable for these holidays:
- Wednesday, December 25, 2024 – Christmas Day
- Wednesday, January 1, 2025 – New Year's Day
- Monday, January 20, 2025 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Wednesday, February 12, 2025 – Lincoln's Birthday
- Monday, February 17, 2025 – Presidents' Day
Staff will again be available the first business day immediately following each holiday.
Processing Schedules
Although ISAC staff will be unavailable on the days listed above, all systems for ISAC-administered programs within the GAP Access portal will be available during regularly scheduled hours. For MAP and other programs administered through components of the GAP Access portal, results for payment requests submitted from 5 p.m. (CT) the business day prior to the holiday through 5 p.m. (CT) the business day following the holiday will be available via the appropriate program's system on the morning of the second business day after the holiday.
For Assistance
Access the Financial Aid Administrators area anytime, or send an e-mail message to School Services. With the exception of days when ISAC staff members are unavailable, we will review and respond to messages during regular business hours of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (CT).
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, please contact School Services by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or calling 866.247.2172
