ISAC Student PortalEarly Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program
NOTICE: 2026-27 Alternative Application
As of July 24, 2026, a federal district court ruled that undocumented students are no longer eligible to receive state financial assistance from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the 2026-2027 school year. As a result, the 2026-27 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, the application certain undocumented students would have used to apply for state financial aid programs this academic year, is no longer available. This means that students who have submitted or planned to submit the 2026-27 Alternative Application, such as Illinois undocumented students, cannot be considered for this program for the 2026-27 school year.
The eligibility criteria for the 2027–28 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid will be changing. This application is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2026. Please visit isac.org/AlternativeApp for more information.
Program News
(last updated August 5, 2026)
2026-27 Program Funding
2026-27 Certification
2026-27 Application
2025-26 Reconciliation - Due to ISAC Notifications
2026-27
Program Funding
The 2027 fiscal year (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) appropriation for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program is $5,000,000.
Certification
A July 9 e-Message announces that colleges may access the "Certification List: View" screen within the ECACE system to certify eligibility for 2026-27 ECACE Scholarships. A certification record is created in the ECACE system after ISAC determines that the ECACE online application process has been completed (this includes: the ECACE application; the corresponding year's FAFSA; and, any required documentation) and the applicant meets all initial eligibility requirements (i.e., requirements other than those that must be verified by the college). Only records that need to be certified display on the "Certification List: View" screen.
Further details regarding the certification process are provided on the ECACE Certification page, as well as in the ECACE User Guide.
Application
The 2026-27 ECACE Scholarship Program application remains available via the Program Applications & Status Checks area of the ISAC Student Portal.
Alongside the ECACE application, students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for the same academic year that they are applying for the scholarship.
The ECACE application and the FAFSA must be completed and submitted on or before the priority consideration date which, for the 2026-27 application, was Sunday, May 31, 2026. Applications received after that date may still be considered for an award if scholarship funds are still available after all on-time eligible applicants have been awarded.
Further details, including proof of employment requirements, are provided in the Application Procedures for the Early Childhood Access for Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program page.
What's Next
Colleges will be notified when 2026-27 eligibility data and certification functionality become available in the ECACE system later this year.
2025-26
Reconciliation - Due to ISAC Notifications
Notifications detailing the outstanding amount that must be refunded to ISAC for 2025-26 ECACE Scholarships were emailed to financial aid directors in early August. Review the information in the notification and return the appropriate amount – along with a completed Gift Assistance Programs Refund Check Form – no later than August 19, 2026.
If additional information needs to be provided to ISAC by the college, a Gift Assistance Programs Refund Check Explanation Form (Excel spreadsheet) may be completed and included with the Refund Check Form.
Details about returning funds to ISAC and the payment offset and reconciliation process are provided in the Refunds and Unpaid Claims section of the Processes area.
