Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid: General FAQs

Q: Can I submit both the FAFSA^® and the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. No, for most students. A student who is eligible for federal student aid should not complete the Alternative Application. The Alternative Application is for students who are not eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs and will not complete the FAFSA. If you filled out the FAFSA in error and should have completed the Alternative Application, you will need to work with ISAC and your school's financial aid office to resolve the duplicate submission after you complete your Alternative Application and receive your ISAC ID number. A student who becomes eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs after completing an Alternative Application should also contact the financial aid office at their college for further guidance.

PLEASE NOTE: Some students that have completed or will complete the FAFSA and are ineligible for federal financial aid are able to complete a supplemental section of the Alternative Application that has questions specific to their situation. Students who believe they are ineligible for federal financial aid should complete the Prescreening Questionnaire to determine if they are eligible to complete the supplemental section after completing their FAFSA^.

Q. Who should complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. Most students will still complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for financial aid. If you are not sure whether you should complete this Alternative Application or the FAFSA, the Prescreening Questionnaire at the beginning of the Alternative Application will help you to determine which application you should complete. We also encourage you to talk with your school counselor or the financial aid office at your college or university to learn which application to file.

Q. What kinds of financial aid can I receive by completing the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. Students can use this application to apply for state financial aid, provided they meet all requirements. Students can use the Alternative Application in two ways. First, it serves as the application for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant. Second, when another state program requires completion of the FAFSA in addition to the specific scholarship or grant application, qualifying students can complete the Alternative Application in lieu of the FAFSA. Some colleges or universities in Illinois may also use this application in lieu of the FAFSA to award institutional aid. Most students will still complete the FAFSA to apply for both federal and state student financial aid, including MAP grants.

If you complete only the supplemental section of the Alternative Application, this information, as well as information gathered from your FAFSA, will be used to determine eligibility for Illinois financial aid programs.

Q. If I am eligible to complete and submit the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, does that mean I am guaranteed to get a MAP grant?

A. No. Being eligible to submit the Alternative Application makes it possible for you to apply for MAP grants, but like all students completing either the Alternative Application or the FAFSA, you still must meet the eligibility requirements for MAP to receive a grant. This is also the case if you are directed to complete the supplemental section only.

Q: When should I complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. MAP funds are limited and are awarded to eligible students in date order based on the application receipt date. You are encouraged to complete the application as soon as possible after it becomes available in the academic year that you will graduate from high school.

If you complete the supplemental section of the Alternative Application only, ISAC will record your official FAFSA Application Receipt Date on your Alternative Application record, regardless of when you complete the supplemental questions. Your FAFSA receipt date will serve as the date ISAC will use to determine awarding for the MAP grant.

Q: The criteria to complete the Alternative Application says I must have graduated high school to be eligible to complete it, I'm currently a senior in high school, does that mean I have to wait until after I graduate to complete the application?

A. No. If you are currently a high school senior, you do not have to wait until after you have graduated from high school to complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid. While the criteria do state that you have to be a high school graduate, that is a typical college admission requirement that you will need to meet to enroll in the college of your choice and receive the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant as a college student. If you are currently a high school senior, don’t wait to complete the application until after you graduate.

Q. Is a student with a Type “T” Visa eligible to complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. No. Students with a Type “T” Visa are NOT eligible to complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid because they are eligible to apply for federal and state student aid. The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid is for students who do not qualify for federal student aid. “T” visa holders should file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and identify themselves as eligible noncitizens.

The “T” Visa is set aside for those who are or have been victims of human trafficking and allows victims to remain in the United States to assist in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.

For information on the federal definition of “eligible noncitizen,” a category of noncitizens who may use the FAFSA to apply for federal student aid programs, visit the Federal Student Aid website

Q. Does the immigration status of my parent(s) or my spouse impact my eligibility for MAP and other state financial aid?

A. No. If you are eligible to apply for MAP through either the FAFSA or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, your parent or spouse does not need a Social Security number (SSN) to complete their section of your FAFSA or Alternative Application form.

Q. What information/documents will I need to complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. The Alternative Application asks for information similar to what is collected through the FAFSA. Documents and information you will need to complete the application include:

• Federal income tax returns, W-2’s, and other records of money earned (2024 information is used to complete the 2026-27 application; 2025 information will be used to complete the 2027-28 FAFSA)
• Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
• Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
• List of up to 10 colleges you would like to attend
• Your parent (or spouse) may also be required to provide tax and financial information

If you are required to complete only the supplemental section of the Alternative Application, you will not be required to submit any additional documents. Most information will be gathered from your FAFSA. However, it will be helpful to gather the following information before you complete these supplemental questions:

• The Illinois high school(s) you attended and the years you attended
• The Illinois high school you graduated from and your graduation date OR the date you received your Illinois State Diploma (sometimes known as your GED).
• If applicable, any Illinois community colleges you attended, the dates you attended, the number of credit hours you earned, and any degrees you received and the date of the degree
• The Illinois college or university you plan to attend or are most interested in attending during the school year for which you are seeking financial aid

Q. Should I start the Alternative Application even if I know I will not be able to provide my parents' information?

A. If you are unable to obtain your parents’ information, complete as much of the application as you can and contact your college’s financial aid office as soon as possible. The financial aid office will evaluate your situation and let you know if, based on their school policies, they are able to override the need for parental information. You will likely need to provide additional information to the college to help the financial aid office better understand your special circumstance and make a determination regarding your dependency status. ISAC does not have the authority to override dependency or financial information; that must be done by the college, and they must have sufficient information to document the situation and make their decision.

Q. Can I use my cell phone to complete and submit the Alternative Application?

A. No. The Alternative Application is not mobile-friendly and cannot be submitted through a mobile device.

Q. How many college choices can I include in my Alternative Application?

A. You may select up to 10 colleges on your application. You should include your top choices, even if you haven’t applied for admission or been accepted yet. If you want to make your Alternative Application information available to an additional college after submitting the application, you can make a change to your school choices. However, no more than 10 schools may be listed on your application at one time. If you have already made 10 school choices, you will need to replace one of the choices with the new school. The college removed from the list will not have access to any new information you provide after you’ve removed that school.

If you complete only the supplemental section of the Alternative Application, you will be asked to provide the name of the Illinois college or university you plan to attend or are most interested in attending during the school year for which you are seeking financial aid.

Q. How will I know that my Alternative Application was submitted and complete?

A. Your application is considered complete when all required information, including signatures, have been provided, at which point the “Submit” button will be activated and you may submit the application to ISAC. If you are a dependent student, both your signature and your parent’s signature must be provided to complete the application process. If your application was successfully submitted, a confirmation page will appear, and you will also receive a conformation email. We encourage you to save the confirmation email for your records

If you complete only the supplemental section of the Alternative Application, you will also receive a confirmation email as record of your submission.

Q. Should I submit another Alternative Application if I am having trouble updating/making a correction?

A. No. You should not submit another application. If you are finding it difficult to update or correct an Alternative Application, contact an ISAC Student Engagement and Support Services Specialist at 800.899.ISAC (4722) or an ISACorps Member for assistance.

Q. How can I log in to my application if I have forgotten my password or challenge question that I used to create my Student Profile?

A. If you have forgotten your password, you can easily reset it by clicking on the “Forgot Password” link on the Log In screen. You will be asked for your User ID, which is the email address you used when you set up your Student Profile, and then you will be prompted to answer your challenge question. After correctly answering the question, you will be prompted to reset your password.

To reset your challenge question and answer, navigate to the Log In screen and select “Forgot Password” and then “Reset Question and Answer.” An email will be sent to the email address you used when you created your Student Profile with instructions on how to reset your challenge question and answer. Click on the link in the email and you will be able to set a new challenge question and answer.

Q: What if I no longer have access to the email I used to sign up for a Student Portal account?

A. You can still log in to your account using the email address and password that you used to sign up for the account, but you should change your email once you gain access to your account. If you do not remember which email you used for your account, you can click on the "Forgot Username" option and you will be taken to a screen that will allow you to log in using your 9-Digit ISAC ID and your Date of Birth. If you are still having issues logging in, please contact an ISAC Student Engagement Specialist at [email protected] for assistance.

Q. Where can I find my ISAC ID Number?

A. Your ISAC ID Number is located at the top of various screens within your Alternative Application. It will be a nine-digit number with two zeros in the center for example: 123004567. The easiest place to find it is in the Student Section, right above your last name. Please keep your ISAC ID Number secure, as it serves as your individual student identifier for ISAC programs.

If you are a dependent student and a parent is required to sign your application, your parent will need your ISAC ID Number as part of the log in process to access your application and provide their electronic signature via a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Please note that ISAC cannot provide ISAC ID Number information to students (or your parents) by phone or e-mail; however, ISAC is available to assist you with logging back into your application to help you locate it.

Q. If I update my email address on Section 1 of the Alternative Application, will the email address on my Student Profile be automatically updated?

A. No. If you update your email address on Section 1 of the Alternative Application, the e-mail address you provided when creating your Student Profile is not automatically updated.

The email address you provide when creating your Student Profile is pre-populated on the application. If you change or update the pre-populated email address on the application, you will still need to use the Student Profile email address to log back into the application.

If you update your email address on your application, ISAC recommends that you also update the email address on your Student Profile. While not required, it may help avoid confusion if you need to log back into the application, and it will ensure that all communication about your application is directed to the same email address.

The email address that is provided in Section 1 of the Alternative Application is the email address that your PIN will be sent to, is the email address the college will see on your application record, and is the email address that ISAC may use to communicate with you in the future.

If you complete only the supplemental section of the Alternative Application, you will only provide your email when setting up your Student Profile, and will not include this information as part of the supplemental questions.

When creating your Student Profile and completing the application, you are encouraged to use a personal email address (such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail) rather than a school provided email address that could potentially change if you change schools. Please make sure to list an email address that you regularly monitor.

Q. How is the information I provide on the Alternative Application protected? How will the information be used and who will it be shared with?

A. ISAC respects students’ right to privacy and is committed to ensuring that their personal, professional and financial information is secure, as outlined in our Alternative Application Information Privacy and Security Disclosure

Data protection:

With respect to data protection, ISAC has taken numerous steps to help safeguard the integrity of our communications and computing infrastructure, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption for all our programs and applications. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire ISAC operating environment as part of our continuing commitment to risk management.

Data use and sharing:

The information collected on the Alternative Application pre-screening questions is used to determine eligibility to file the application and will be retained by ISAC and kept private according to the agency’s privacy policies. Data from the Alternative Application itself is used to calculate a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) and the eligible award amount for the Monetary Award Program (MAP). This information will be retained by ISAC and will be shared with the colleges a student selects on the application through ISAC’s secure portal that colleges use to administer ISAC programs.

Consistent with our privacy policies for all ISAC programs, ISAC does not share student information with other third parties unless the third party is an authorized agent of ISAC and the information will only be used in furtherance of a student’s financial aid request or for research purposes. Such third parties are subject to restrictions regarding data confidentiality, use and security.

Illinois law prohibits the public disclosure of names and addresses of students who receive aid through any of ISAC’s non-discretionary programs, including MAP. Aggregate financial aid applicant and recipient information (meaning, information that does not identify individual students), such as aggregate demographics and income levels, is shared publicly to support research that, for example, identifies how program funds benefit students. Please note that ISAC could be required to share individual student data pursuant to a valid subpoena or as required to investigate student aid fraud.

Q. What is Student Aid Index (SAI)?

A. Similar to the FAFSA, if you are completing the Alternative Application, the information you provide on the Alternative Application is used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is a number that the federal government uses as a guide to determine a student’s financial need. While information from the Alternative Application is not sent to the federal government, the same formula is used to determine how much state financial aid a student may be eligible to receive.

Q. Will I receive notification of my Student Aid Index (SAI) and my eligibility for MAP from ISAC after I submit my Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid?

A. No. ISAC does not notify students who complete the Alternative Application about their SAI or their eligibility for MAP. The only notification that a student will receive from ISAC after submitting the application will be confirmation that it was submitted successfully and has been received by ISAC. Information about the student’s SAI is provided to the colleges that were selected as school choices on the application, and colleges will use that information to provide a notification to the student regarding their eligibility for MAP when they begin sending out financial aid offers. Questions about eligibility and award amounts should be directed to the financial aid office of the college that you plan to attend.

Q: I completed the Alternative Application. Why doesn’t my award amount appear on any financial aid offers or letters from my school?

A. There are several reasons why you may not see an MAP award listed in any financial aid offers:

1. 1You are not eligible for MAP. Please check the eligibility criteria and ensure that you match each requirement. If you are a graduate student, or if you accidentally indicated that you were a “graduate student” on the application, you would not be found eligible.
2. Your financial need does not meet the requirements of the MAP eligibility calculations.
3. You applied for the MAP grant after funding for the program ran out.
4. You are enrolled at a college that is not a MAP-approved college, or you are receiving a financial aid offer from a college that is not a MAP-approved college.

Your financial aid office will have the most timely and accurate information on your financial aid package and you should contact them with any questions.