ISAC Communiqué

Volume 35, Number 2C
August 2025

Messages sent to:   Multiple Subscription Groups
  ISAC Communiqué

Welcome to the August 2025 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout August.

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 Partner Services by calling 866.247.2172 or sending an email message to  [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.

MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTION GROUPS

Transcript Exchange – Back to School Webinars
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, and Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants on August 26, 2025.

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Webinars offered in September

It's that time of year again – back to school season! As staff and students are heading back to school, we want to remind you that the ISAC Transcript Exchange, through our partnership with Parchment, enables the electronic exchange of transcript information for Illinois students. The Parchment Customer Success Team is offering an online webinar on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, September 9th, 12 p.m. Central Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time)
  • Tuesday, September 23rd, 12 p.m. Central Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time)

Topics that will benefit you and your learners to help start the new school year successfully will be covered. Whether you are a Parchment veteran or a brand-new user, this webinar is for you. This webinar will review new Parchment features, best practices and resources for you and your students, and product highlights and features you may not be using (but should). Click here to register and indicate which webinar date you'll attend. If you register for the webinar and are unable to attend it, Parchment will send you a recording of the session.

What is the ISAC Transcript Exchange?

If you're not familiar with the ISAC Transcript Exchange, the service provides the opportunity for high school students to request that transcripts be sent electronically to the college(s) of their choice and to other organizations requesting transcripts (e.g., scholarship providers). Through the ISAC Transcript Exchange, Illinois high schools are able to use this Parchment electronic service at no cost. Current students are able to request that transcripts be sent electronically to destinations free of charge. Alumni are also able to use Parchment for transcript requests (includes a transcript fee). To protect the privacy and confidentiality of transcript data, documents are sent through a secure transcript service in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

If your school is not currently taking advantage of the ISAC Transcript Exchange and you would like to learn more about the service, please contact Lenore Smith from ISAC at [email protected].

State Scholar Processing Has Begun
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators and High School Counselors/Teachers on August 14, 2025.

Unless otherwise noted, all links in this message may be accessed via the Counselors area at isac.org.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is now accepting data for the 2026-27 State Scholar Program (SSP) for Illinois students who will be college freshmen during the 2026-27 academic year.

Use these links to go to a specific section:

ISAC Accepting Sixth Semester Data
Early Announcement Option
Reminder Regarding Certificates of Achievement
Watch for Further Updates

ISAC Accepting Sixth Semester Data

Sixth semester, defined as the third semester prior to graduation, is typically the end of a student's junior year (excluding summer term). This data must be submitted via the SSP system in the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs (GAP) Access portal for ISAC to process in early fall.

New for the 2026-27 State Scholar processing cycle, an "Illinois Resident" field appears on the SSP Data Exchange Layout (and a corresponding column will appear on the School List screen in the SSP system).Schools will be asked to complete the field with a "Y" or "N" response.

High schools are encouraged to submit their data as soon as they are able to do so.

The following procedures remain in effect for this year's cycle:

  1. if a school ranks, unweighted rankings should be provided;
  2. if a school does not rank, unweighted grade point averages (GPAs) must be provided;
  3. weighted rankings and GPAs cannot be accepted; and,
  4. schools are required to submit data for the entire class and to include any applicable disqualification codes.

High schools may choose from two options when submitting the required sixth semester data:

Option One: Batches (via Excel Spreadsheets) – AVAILABLE NOW

  • Create an Excel spreadsheet with your students' sixth semester data. All data files must be formatted according to the specifications provided by ISAC.
  • When the Excel spreadsheet is ready to submit, log in to the GAP Access portal to access the SSP system, and then follow the on-screen prompts to upload your file to ISAC.
  • Once the file has been uploaded, the file validation process will begin.
    • The validation process will take several minutes. Be sure to monitor the upload, and click the "Refresh" button to confirm the file has validated.
    • After validation has completed, the file will have one of two statuses: "Validated" (no errors); or, "Validation Errors Found" (with errors).
      • If the file status is "Validated," no further action is required.
      • If the file status is "Validation Errors Found," the errors must be corrected before any students on the file can be considered for State Scholar designation. Instructions for correcting errors are provided in the SSP File Upload User Guide.
    • Note that file validation is different from data processing. Validation simply verifies that all records in the file are complete (no missing fields) and formatted correctly. You will be notified later in the year when the data processing cycle, during which State Scholars are named, begins.

Option Two: Online Process – ANTICIPATED FOR EARLY- TO MID-SEPTEMBER

  • Once this function is available, student sixth semester data may be provided online via the SSP system. The student list is provided based on students who took one of the standardized tests (ACT or SAT).

Early Announcement Option

The early announcement option continues to be offered this processing cycle. After an announcement schedule has been determined, early announcements – which allow eligible students to be designated as State Scholars prior to the final round of announcements for the academic year – will begin later this year. A follow-up e-Message will be sent once the first round of early announcements has been scheduled (anticipated for early- to mid-September).

  • Scholars at high schools choosing to take advantage of early announcements may have more opportunities to list this honorary designation on applications for college admission and merit-based scholarships.
  • High schools will choose whether to include their eligible students for consideration in the early processing cycle.
    • Checking the "Run Selection" box (located on the "State Scholar Program: Search By School: Results" screen of the SSP system) allows the high school's students to be included for consideration in the next round of 2026-27 State Scholar announcements.
    • The "Run Selection" checkbox will become available to check after ISAC has processed the high school's Excel spreadsheet and resolved any discrepancies.
      • An email will be sent to the high school's Primary Administrator (principal) and the School Contact (as listed in the SSP system's "State Scholar Program: Search By School: Results" screen) to indicate when the "Run Selection" box is available to check.
      • Before checking the box, be sure to review all submitted student data for accuracy.
  • Students whose high schools submit sixth semester data, but are not included for consideration in an early announcement round (i.e., the "Run Selection" box is not checked), will be considered for State Scholar designation when the last announcement round takes place later in the academic year (anticipated for the fall).

Reminder Regarding Certificates of Achievement

Please note, ISAC does not print Certificates of Achievement – all high schools need to print Certificates of Achievement for their State Scholars.

Watch for Further Updates

Watch for additional updates – including availability of the online option to provide/review individual records, and scheduling of the first round of early announcements – via the standard communication methods (i.e., the Counselor Message Board, the State Scholar Program News section, and ISAC's e-Messaging service). Processing updates will also be communicated via a yellow highlighted box that appears on the "State Scholar Program: Search By School: Results" screen.

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ISAC COMMUNIQUÉ

July 2025 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on August 1, 2025.

The July 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 July 2025 ISAC Communiqué include:

  • Secure Your Spot – CCE Conference
    (sent July 9, 2025)
  • Submit Financial Aid Application Admin Waivers
    (sent July 7, 2025)
  • Register Today – CCE Conference
    (sent July 1, 2025)
  • June 2025 ISAC Communiqué
    (sent July 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.

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