ISAC Student Portal2022-23 FAFSA®, Alternative Application, and Important Dates
10/01/2021
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:
2022-23 (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023)
New FAFSA and Alternative Application Now Available
2021-22 (July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022)
2020-21 (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021)
General Information (Not Specific to One Academic Year)
2022-23 FAFSA® and Alternative Application Now Available
The 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) cycle, including FAFSA on the Web, opened – and the Central Processing System (CPS) began processing 2022-23 FAFSA data – on October 1, 2021. Details regarding the 2022-23 application cycle may be accessed via the Applying for Financial Aid section of the e-Library for Partners.
The 2022-23 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid is also available (in English and Spanish). As a reminder, students meeting the criteria of the Retention of Illinois Students and Equity (RISE) Act may file the Alternative Application – which is patterned after the FAFSA – to apply for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant. Because the failure to register for Selective Service no longer disqualifies an applicant from receiving federal student aid, students who have not registered may want to consider completing the FAFSA instead of the Alternative Application to maximize their financial aid opportunities. Further details are provided at ISAC's 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.
December 1: Priority Deadline Date for Returning MAP Recipients
Eligible applicants must have received MAP funds during the 2021-22 academic year and submit their 2022-23 FAFSA or Alternative Application on or before December 1, 2021 (which is the 2022-23 priority deadline date) in order to receive priority access to 2022-23 MAP funds.
ISAC Administrative Rules Available
ISAC Administrative Rules, which were adopted for the 2021-22 academic year, are available within the e-Library for Partners and may be viewed in two formats: "Listed Alphabetically" and "Listed by Program Type/Topic."
Selective Service Requirement Removed from ISAC's Rules
An August 27 e-Message announces that – effective August 16, 2021 and in conjunction with ED's early implementation of the related portion of the FAFSA Simplification Act – the requirement that each applicant must comply with Selective Service requirements as stated in federal regulations was deleted from ISAC's rules. We are in the process of updating resource information, including program pages on the website, and will revise application documents and other operational material as necessary as we move through the processing year.
2021-22 FAFSA and Alternative Application Remain Available
Although ISAC suspended the announcement of 2021-22 MAP grants (for all students whose initial 2021-22 FAFSA is received by the federal processor, or whose initial Alternative Application is received by ISAC, on or after August 27, 2021), these 2021-22 applications remain available online. If not already done, an application should be completed and submitted as soon as possible by students who will be attending college between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. FAFSA results are used to determine eligibility for other forms of federal, state and institutional financial assistance. The suspension of 2021-22 MAP award announcements does not impact any other financial aid programs.
Grant Program for Exonerees Application Available
Applications for the 2021-22 Grant Program for Exonerees are now being accepted. Applications for this program are processed in date-received (i.e., "first come, first served") order.
Program funds are limited and are available to students who received a pardon from the Governor of the State of Illinois that was issued on the grounds of innocence of the crime for which they had been imprisoned, or who received a certificate of innocence from a circuit court. Students who meet this criteria and all other eligibility requirements for the program may complete and submit the application as soon as possible.
December 10: First-term Claim Deadline for MAP, MTI and Golden Apple
As announced in a September 22 e-Message, payment requests (i.e., claims) for the 2021-22 MAP, Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship, and Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois (Golden Apple) programs are due on or before December 10, 2021.
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 MAP, MTI Scholarship and Golden Apple "Program News" pages; and/or ISAC's e-Messaging system.
Continue Certifying MTI Eligibility
Continue using the MTI system to certify eligibility throughout the year, in order to ensure that your students will be included in any rounds of awarding that take place. Details regarding the certification process are provided in a May 18 e-Message.
MTI Applications Still Being Accepted
Although the 2021-22 priority consideration application deadline for the MTI Scholarship Program was March 1, 2021, applications will continue to be accepted for as long as funding remains after all timely qualified applicants have been awarded.
December 31: Fall-Term Deadline to Report Benefit Usage Data for IVG and ING Grant
An August 18 e-Message announced that ISAC is accepting fall-term benefit usage data for the 2021-22 Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant programs.
Deadline dates are as follows:
- IVG data for the fall term is due December 31, 2021.
- ING Grant data for the fall term is due December 31, 2021.
Benefit usage data for the ING Grant and IVG 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. Although ISAC is not able to reimburse institutions for 2021-22 ING Grant or IVG awards, reporting of benefits used must still take place so that usage can be accurately reflected on students' accounts.
Later This Year: Reporting Enrollment Verification Data for ISAC-Administered Teacher Education Programs
ISAC will soon begin accepting 2020-21 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)
Watch for more details – including the date by which enrollment verification data is due – in a future e-Message.
December 2: Next Commission Meeting
The next meeting of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, December 2, 2021. 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.
The Commission Meeting Schedule page will soon be updated with information regarding all meetings scheduled in 2022.
Holiday Schedules
ISAC staff will be unavailable for these holidays:
- Monday, October 11 – Columbus Day
- Thursday, November 11 – Veterans Day
- Thursday, November 25 – Thanksgiving Day
- Friday, November 26 – Day after Thanksgiving
- Friday, December 24 – Christmas (observed)
- Friday, December 31 – New Year's (observed)
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, the MAP system will be available during regularly scheduled hours and will reflect records processed by the Central Processing System (CPS) through the last business day immediately preceding each respective holiday. 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 MAP system on the morning of the second business day after the holiday.
Click on the following link to access holiday processing schedules for MAP records.
For Assistance
Access the Financial Aid Administrators area anytime, or send an e-mail message to ISAC's School Services Department. 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 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.
