2026-27 ECACE Scholarship Application Available – Priority Consideration Date: May 31

04/13/2026

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is sharing the following information to assist colleges in the administration of the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program.

ECACE Scholarship applications for the 2026-27 academic year are now being accepted. The priority consideration date for the application process to be completed – including submission of the 2026-27 ECACE Scholarship application and the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or 2026-27 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) – is 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.

Reminders

  • Program details – including eligibility requirements – are available on our website, along with a link to the online application.
    • As always, we ask our partners to encourage those who may be interested in applying to learn about the program before completing the application.
  • In addition to completing the ECACE application, the FAFSA or Alternative Application must be filed for the same academic year.
    • The ECACE-participating college the applicant plans to attend must be listed on the FAFSA or Alternative Application.
  • Although there is no teaching commitment connected to the award, recipients are expected to continue or return to teaching or direct services in the early childhood care and education field after they complete their program of study.

Looking Ahead

  • When 2026-27 applicant data is available for each college to access via the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen of the ECACE system later this year, data will be displayed for all applications listing the institution as the college the student plans to attend (i.e., complete, incomplete, and ineligible applications will be included). Certification functionality is anticipated to become available during the same timeframe.
  • 2026-27 ECACE Scholarship payment processing will commence later this year.
  • As it becomes available, more information – including announcement of when the 2026-27 "Student List Eligibility: View" screen and certification functionality become available, and when 2026-27 payment requests are being accepted – will be provided via ISAC's usual means of communication (i.e., the ECACE Scholarship Program News area, the FAA Message Board, and this e-Messaging system).

You are receiving this message because you registered for ISAC's e-Messaging service through one or more subscription groups for FAAs.

If you have any questions, please contact School Services by sending an email to [email protected] or calling 866.247.2172.