ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 34, Number 12C
June 2025
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| High School Counselors/Teachers | |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the June 2025 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout June.
The articles in this electronic Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.
Questions?
Questions regarding information in this electronic Communiqué can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at [email protected]. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
CCE Conference Keynote Announced
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Community Organizations, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, and Public Libraries on June 23, 2025.
Register Now!
July 17, 2025 ● Tinley Park Convention Center
We're pleased to announce our conference keynote speaker is Dr. Teresa Ramos, the Inaugural Secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood. Prior to this role, she served as the First Assistant Deputy Governor for Education for the Office of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Learn more about Teresa's story and her contributions to student success on the conference website.
Over the years, the CCE conference attendees have modeled what it is to be a community through presenting peer-to-peer learning opportunities and engaging with a broad group of caring professionals and stakeholders. As practitioners, we are the closest to the issues and problems we and our students and organizations are facing, so we can be the closest to the solutions by working together. It's critical we address how our education ecosystem needs to evolve to meet the challenges of today and those of tomorrow. Don't wait – please register today and be part of the vibrant CCE community by attending this year's conference and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from others working on similar challenges as you, as well as share your expertise and experiences.
- Preliminary Agenda – While the agenda for the conference is still being finalized, you can view a preliminary agenda of interest sessions on the conference website. The agenda contains the conference schedule as it stands currently, and as such is subject to change.
- Registration – Registration is $40.00, and only credit card payments are accepted via Eventbrite. Space is limited and fills up quickly – Register Now!
More information about the conference is available on the conference website. Please share the information in this e-Message with colleagues in your organization and others in your network.
2025 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
CCE Conference Preliminary Agenda Available
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Community Organizations, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, and Public Libraries on June 16, 2025.
Register Now!
July 17, 2025 ● Tinley Park Convention Center
You belong at the 2025 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference along with colleagues from across the state and from different sectors. As we come together in shared responsibility, we can better support students by engaging in meaningful dialogue, sharing best practices, and building a network of mutual aid to address the challenges of now and to prepare for the future. The conference provides a time and place that can spark creativity and collaboration leading to groundbreaking ideas that as individuals we might not be able to achieve. Don't miss this opportunity to foster stronger bonds for our education and career ecosystem, as well as uplift each other and our communities, by registering today.
- Preliminary Agenda – While the conference agenda is still being finalized, a preliminary agenda is now available on the conference website.
- Registration – Registration is $40.00, and only credit card payments are accepted via Eventbrite. Space is limited and fills up quickly – Register Now!
More information about the conference is available on the conference website. Please share the information in this e-Message with colleagues in your organization and others in your network.
2025 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
Space Is Filling Up – Register for CCE Conference
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on June 9, 2025.
Register Now!
July 17, 2025 ● Tinley Park Convention Center
Community is an important element of a student's learning because learning is a matter of belonging as well as an intellectual process. Connection is the lifeblood of our relationships and communities, and communities are a vehicle for tapping into each other's resources for mutual support and care. The phrase "we are greater than the sum of our parts" signifies that a group or a system achieves something more valuable or effective when its components work together synergistically than they would individually. It highlights the power of collaboration and the emergence of new possibilities and opportunities beyond what isolated efforts can afford. Please join us at the 2025 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference – a terrific place of knowledge sharing, relationship building, and collaboration to build community throughout our education ecosystem.
Over the years, the CCE conference attendees have modeled what it is to be a community through presenting peer-to-peer learning opportunities and engaging with a broad group of caring professionals and stakeholders. As practitioners, we are the closest to the issues and problems we and our students and organizations are facing, so we can be the closest to the solutions by working together. It's critical we address how our education ecosystem needs to evolve to meet the challenges of today and those of tomorrow. Don't wait – please register today and be part of the vibrant CCE community by attending this year's conference and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from others working on similar challenges as you, as well as share your expertise and experiences.
Please share the information in this e-Message with colleagues in your organization and others in your network.
2025 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS/TEACHERS
ISAC Program FY26 Funding: Budget Bills Approved
Sent to High School Counselors/Teachers on June 23, 2025.
Governor Pritzker has signed SB 2510 (operating budget bill) and HB 1075 [budget implementation bill (BIMP)], which together provide funding and statutory authority for Illinois programs and services, including ISAC's programs for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Both bills were approved by the Illinois General Assembly by the session's scheduled adjournment date, in the late hours of May 31, and were then forwarded to the governor for signature.
The bills are now considered law and are officially Public Act 104-0003 and Public Act 104-0002 (before considering printing, please note the document length).
Given the expectation that the state's revenue growth will slow in the coming year, the overall budget for the upcoming academic year is a positive one for ISAC programs. One of the biggest highlights is another significant increase ($10 million) to the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which again represents historic funding (over $721.5 million) for the program. The budget also includes a new $1.25 million appropriation for the Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program, which is in addition to authorization to spend down any funds that remain from the FY25 one-time transfer of $5 million from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. As was the case last year, the budget includes funding ($6 million) for ISAC to reimburse public universities for a portion of the tuition and fees that have been waived on behalf of eligible veterans and guard members through the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant programs. [As in recent years, the budget also includes a little more than $4.2 million for the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to reimburse Illinois community colleges for the costs associated with the same programs.]
Some ISAC programs will experience decreased (or eliminated) funding in the FY26 budget. The budget reduces to $2 million the lump sum that supports both the Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work Professional Educator License Scholarship Program and the School and Municipal Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program. (This is still sufficient to meet recent levels of demand.) Nurse Educator Loan Repayment Program funding was reduced to $400,000, which is still more than has been claimed for the program in recent years. In addition, neither the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship Program for students in IT and related fields nor the Prepare for Illinois' Future test preparation program received any funding. A grant to the N'DIGO Foundation to support a journalism internship program also had no funds appropriated.
FY26 ISAC Program Appropriation Highlights
MAP – $721,566,200 (increase)
Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship – $5,000,000
Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois – $10,750,000
Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship – $8,000,000
Nursing Education Scholarship (NES) – $4,000,000
Grant Programs for Dependents of Police, Fire, or Correctional Officers – $1,300,000
Displaced Energy Worker Dependent Transition Scholarship – $1,100,000
Grant Program for Exonerees – $150,000
ING Grant and IVG reimbursement – $6,000,000
Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work Professional Educator License Scholarship Program and School and Municipal Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program (combined appropriation) – $2,000,000 (decrease)
Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment – $7,500,000
Human Services Professional Loan Repayment – $1,250,000 (plus remaining balance of FY25 funds)
Illinois Teachers Loan Repayment – $975,000
Nurse Educator Loan Repayment – $400,000 (decrease)
Veterans' Home Medical Providers' Loan Repayment – $26,400
Aspirational Institutional Match Helping Illinois Grow Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Grant – $50,000,000*
* AIM HIGH funds are disbursed in lump sums by ISAC to public universities.
With the approval of the budget, program implementation and operational activities for the 2025-26 academic year will begin to move forward. As always, we will regularly provide updates and processing details regarding each of our programs as we proceed through the year.
State Legislative Update
Additional details regarding the FY26 state budget, as well as highlights of action taken by the Illinois General Assembly during its spring legislative session that may be of interest to the state's financial aid community, are provided in a recent State Legislative Update (dated June 17, 2025).
2025-26 MAP Suspense: For Applications Received After June 5
Sent to High School Counselors/Teachers on June 2, 2025.
Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at ISAC's website (isac.org).
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is suspending the announcement of 2025-26 Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for applicants whose initial 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is received by the FAFSA Processing System (FPS), or whose initial Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) is received by ISAC, after Thursday, June 5, 2025.
Each year, once projections indicate that demand is close to exceeding the anticipated availability of limited MAP dollars, ISAC suspends award announcements. “Suspense” means that MAP-eligible students who complete an application after June 5, 2025 will be put on a waiting list for MAP funding. If ISAC determines that additional grants can be offered, they will be announced based on the order in which the applications were received. Students have until June 5, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time to submit their applications before being put on the waiting list for MAP.
Any 2025 high school graduates with whom you may be in contact should still be encouraged to submit a FAFSA or Alternative Application as soon as possible if they plan to be enrolled in college for the 2025-26 academic year.
Every year, there are students who do not use their MAP awards, and – if appropriated dollars remain after all eligible recipients who completed an application prior to the suspense date have received their awards – those who file after June 5 and meet the MAP eligibility requirements may have an opportunity to receive those unused dollars. If this occurs, eligible students who complete their FAFSA or Alternative Application earliest will receive first consideration.
FAFSA results are used to determine eligibility for other forms of federal, state and institutional assistance.
The suspension of 2025-26 MAP award announcements does not impact any other financial aid programs.
In addition, encourage your college-bound students and their families to visit the Students & Parents area at isac.org for information regarding the financial aid process.
May 2025 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on June 2, 2025.
The May 2025 edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a compilation of information provided to Counselor partners via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.
Topics covered in the May 2025 ISAC Communiqué include:
- Invitation to 2025 CCE Conference
(sent May 29, 2025) - Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
(sent May 14, 2025) - Still Time to Submit Your CCE Conference Proposal
(sent May 12, 2025) - Deadline Extended: Submit Your Proposal for CCE
(sent May 5, 2025) - ISAC-Sponsored Events Survey Deadline Extended to May 9th
(sent May 2, 2025) - April 2025 ISAC Communiqué
(sent May 1, 2025)
Encourage Your Colleagues to Sign Up for e-Messaging
ISAC's e-Messaging service is our primary means of communicating information to Counselor partners.
Encourage your colleagues who have not done so to subscribe through the Counselors e-Messaging sign-up page at isac.org today, so that they won't miss future announcements or updates from ISAC.
