ISAC Student PortalEarly Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program
Program News
(last updated September 24, 2024)
2024-25 Program Funding
2024-25 Payment
2024-25 Awarding
2024-25 Certification
2024-25 Student List
2024-25 Applications
2023-24 Reconciliation – Due to ISAC Notifications
2024-25
Program Funding
The 2025 fiscal year (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) appropriation for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program is $5,000,000. For the first time since the program's creation, it will be funded in FY25 by the State of Illinois rather than by federal funds. Because considerably less funding is available, the number of recipients in 2024-25 will be significantly limited, and the program is expected to be able to support only a portion of renewal applicants.
Payment
As announced in a September 24 e-Message, colleges may submit (via the ECACE system) 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship fall (Term 1 for semester and quarter schools) payment requests (i.e., claims) for awarded students.
By submitting a payment request to ISAC via the ECACE system, a college is confirming that the student is enrolled and continues to meet all eligibility criteria. If a college determines that an applicant does not meet all eligibility requirements, they report the reason for ineligibility via the ECACE system.
Due to limited funding, the 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship maximum annual award is the lesser of: $7,500 or the cost of attendance after other aid is considered. The maximum award amount that may be claimed during the academic year is populated in the "Max Annual Award Amount" field of the ECACE system. There are no term award limits for this program – colleges must determine the term award amount(s) based on other financial aid the student is receiving, keeping in mind that the ECACE Scholarship is last payer and can be used for any cost of attendance component.
Schools are encouraged to submit payment requests for awarded students as soon as possible. The timely submission of payment requests allows ISAC staff to monitor program funding levels and ensure that available dollars are best leveraged to award as many scholarships as possible without exceeding the appropriation.
Submitting payment requests is a two-step process, which involves generating the request and then submitting the request. Submit claims for individual ECACE Scholarship recipients via the "Student Detail: Payment" screen or in batches for a group of students via the "Payment Request Entry" screen.
Payment results are available in the ECACE system each morning. A Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the report tab in the ECACE system. The report includes Payment Results and Payment Exceptions as well as Invoice Detail about the payment claim. The Payment Results/Exceptions report should be reviewed regularly to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.
The disbursement of funds is processed by the State Comptroller's Office. Allow four to six weeks for payment processing (i.e., from the date a claim is submitted until funds are received at the college). Refer to the State Comptroller's Website page for information on how to track payment.
For more information, refer to the following resources on ISAC's website:
ECACE Payment
ECACE Electronic Processing
ECACE User Guide
Awarding
As announced in a September 24 e-Message, awarding has taken place for 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship applicants based on certification records that were completed by the colleges before September 24, 2024. Awarding prioritization was based on an applicant's renewal status (meaning the student received an ECACE award in the 2023-24 award year), the application receipt date, and the applicant's Student Aid Index (SAI), awarding first to those with the lowest (-1500) SAIs. Award notifications are being delivered to awarded students by ISAC. Colleges may access 2024-25 eligible award information, including funded or unfunded status, using the ECACE system. Award results may be viewed on the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen.
While all 2024-25 ECACE Scholarships were awarded to timely renewal applicants with an SAI of -1500, sufficient funding was not available to award all applicants who meet these criteria. Eligible students unable to receive an award due to funding limitations will receive communication from ISAC informing them of this status. Please note that it is highly unlikely that any students receiving a letter notifying them of insufficient funds for an award will receive an ECACE Scholarship this year.
Request for Assistance Sent to College Presidents, Chancellors, and Chief Student Service Officers
A joint communication (dated September 23, 2024) from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and ISAC has been sent to college presidents, chancellors, and chief student service officers. The communication encourages institutions to exercise all available flexibility in order to protect students, who may have enrolled or returned to college because they hoped for continued ECACE Scholarship support, from academic or financial penalties.
Certification
An August 26 e-Message announces that colleges may access the "Certification List: View" screen within the ECACE system to certify eligibility for 2024-25 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 or, if applicable, the Alternative Application; 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 are provided on the ECACE Certification page, as well as in the ECACE User Guide (which has been updated to reflect the 2024-25 processing cycle).
Student List
Colleges may view a listing of ECACE records by accessing the ECACE system and selecting the Student tab to display the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen. Records for applicants who listed the institution on their applications and whose applications have been reviewed by ISAC staff for completeness will be included.
As of late August 2024, the focus of ISAC's review is renewal applicants (i.e., those who received an ECACE Scholarship during the 2023-24 academic year) whose applications were received by the August 11, 2024 priority access to funding date.
Further details are provided in the ECACE User Guide, which has been updated to reflect the 2024-25 processing cycle.
Applications
The 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship Program interactive application is no longer being accepted.
The ECACE application and the FAFSA or Alternative Application must be completed and submitted on or before the date for priority access to funding which, for the 2024-25 application, was August 11, 2024. Applications received after that date continued to be given consideration for as long as funding remained available after timely, qualified applicants had been awarded.
Further details, including proof of employment requirements, are provided at the Application Procedures for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program page.
What's New
A July 18 e-Message announces that, while most program details remain the same for the 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship processing cycle, several important changes have taken effect for this program.
- For the first time since the program's creation, it will be funded by the State of Illinois rather than by federal funds.
- Because considerably less funding is available, the number of recipients in 2024-25 will likely be significantly limited, and – while new applicants may apply – the program is expected to be able to support only a portion of renewal applicants (i.e., applicants who received program funding in the prior year).
- The maximum annual award a student may receive is the lesser of $7,500 or the cost of attendance after other aid is considered.
- Post-baccalaureate students (i.e., graduate students) are not eligible to complete the 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship application – only undergraduate students may apply.
- 2024-25 ECACE Scholarships will not fund the summer 2025 term (i.e., awards will be made for the fall, winter and spring terms only).
- Awarding Prioritization is based on an applicant's renewal or new status and their Student Aid Index (SAI), from lowest to highest.
- The SAI is calculated for most students using data reported on the 2024-25 FAFSA.
- For some qualifying students, data from the 2024-25 Alternative Application may also be used to calculate the SAI.
- Timely renewal applicants who received an ECACE Scholarship under the federally-funded program in the prior academic year and continue to meet all program eligibility requirements will receive awarding priority over timely new applicants. Please note that it is very unlikely there will be sufficient funding to award any new applicants in the 2024-25 academic year
2023-24
Reconciliation – Due to ISAC Notifications
Notifications detailing the outstanding amount that must be refunded to ISAC for 2023-24 ECACE Scholarships were e-mailed 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 September 30, 2024.
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.
