Completing a financial aid application is often considered the first step in making education after high school possible for Illinois students. An Illinois student who completes a financial aid application may be eligible to receive as much as $15,795 if they qualify for the Federal Pell Grant and the Illinois Monetary Award Program—funding that can make the difference for thousands of low-income students statewide.

Financial Aid Application Completion Requirement

State law requires all Illinois public high school seniors to complete either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma. Additionally, high schools are expected to provide students and their families with any support or guidance necessary to comply with the requirement. For students who choose not to file an application, a Financial Aid Application Nonparticipation Form may be signed by a parent or guardian. The 2023-24 Nonparticipation Form will become available, electronically, on ISAC’s Student Portal once the FAFSA and Alternative Application are available in December 2023. For questions regarding the waiver/opt-out form, you can email ISBE at fafsa@isbe.net.

ISAC helps support high schools with their financial aid application completion programming, and also provides free direct assistance to students and families in completing their financial aid applications. Find out more at https://www.isac.org/students/before-college/outreach-activitiesevent-calendar/. And check out our Rock the FAFSA toolkits to help you get the word out to your students.

Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative

Through this free service to districts and schools, ISAC is able to share data with local school districts on a weekly basis through GAP Access to identify students who have not filed a financial aid application (the FAFSA or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid). This information is used by district counselors (or ISACorps, with permission from schools) to help reach students who might otherwise not complete an application.

For high schools not currently participating in ISAC’s Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative, principals can sign up their respective high school through our automated system at the GAP Access portal. For more information contact ISAC School Services at 866.247.2172 or by e-mail at isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov.

Recognition of Excellence: Financial Aid Application Completion

ISAC is annually recognizing the efforts of high schools that focus on supporting their students and families through the financial aid process.  Four levels of recognition have been defined and are used to determine recognition awards. Honoree public and private high schools will receive an award banner to display at their school, along with the level of recognition for the class. Check out the Recognition of Excellence list of high schools for the Class of 2023.

Financial Aid Applications Completed by School: Class of 2024

Financial Aid Application Completion rates for the class of 2024 will be available on this page once the 2024-25 Financial Aid Applications open and data is processed starting January 2024.