JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

2022-23 ECACE Summer-Term Claims Being Accepted

04/17/2023

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

This message is being sent to assist colleges with the administration of the 2022-23 Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program.

Submit 2022-23 ECACE Claims

  • ISAC is now accepting 2022-23 ECACE Scholarship payment requests (claims) for the summer term.
    • As a reminder, summer is designated as "Term 4" (for both semester and quarter schools) in the ECACE system.
    • Colleges will be notified once the priority claim deadline date for the summer term has been determined.
  • Although the priority claim deadline dates have passed for prior terms (including the fall and spring semesters and the fall, winter and spring quarters), ISAC is continuing to accept and pay 2022-23 ECACE Scholarship claims for these terms.
  • Colleges may submit 2022-23 ECACE Scholarship claims for all terms by accessing the ECACE system.
    • Colleges are always encouraged to submit claims as soon as they are able to do so.
    • The timely submission of claims and cancellations/adjustments allows ISAC staff to monitor remaining funds and award other students, as applicable.
  • By submitting claims for the ECACE Scholarship Program, the institution is certifying that the Scholar is enrolled and continues to meet all program eligibility requirements.
    • If not submitting a claim, the institution reports the reason for the student's ineligibility.
  • Submitting claims is a two-step process, which involves generating the request (either individually or in a batch) and then submitting the request.
  • 2022-23 payment results are available via the ECACE system every weekday.
    • Colleges are encouraged to always review the Payment Results/Exceptions report, which is available the day after claims are processed.
  • The disbursement of funds is processed by the State Comptroller's Office.
  • Because Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to the ECACE Scholarship Pogram, 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.
  • More information regarding ECACE payment functionality, including detailed instructions, is available at the following locations on ISAC's website:

2022-23 ECACE Application Accepted Through May 15

The 2022-23 ECACE Scholarship Program application – used to request funding for the fall 2022, winter/spring 2023, and summer 2023 terms – will continue to be accepted through (including) Monday, May 15, 2023. Encourage students who may be eligible but have not yet done so to submit both the 2022-23 ECACE application and the 2022-23 FAFSA as soon as possible. Based on the fiscal year 2023 program appropriation and projected application volume, ISAC anticipates that funds will remain to be awarded to eligible untimely applicants (i.e., those whose applications are received after the July 15, 2022 priority consideration date) who submit their applications no later than May 15, 2023.

The 2023-24 ECACE Scholarship Program application – used to request funding for the fall 2023, winter/spring 2024, and summer 2024 terms – is anticipated to be available at the ISAC Student Portal by the end of May 2023.

Watch for Future Updates

Future program updates – including availability of the 2023-24 ECACE Scholarship Program application – will be shared with colleges via ISAC's standard methods of communication, including: the ECACE Program News area; the FAA Message Board; and, this e-Messaging service.

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.