MAP Advising Data Updates – Clarification Regarding Data to Report

04/21/2026

As was previously announced, the collection period for MAP Advising data opened on April 9, 2026. It has since come to our attention that dates provided in the initial announcement did not match what is being requested in the GAP Access portal. The intent of this message to clarify what data colleges are to report. We apologize for any confusion.

Colleges are to report the following data no later than Thursday, July 30, 2026:

  • available advising and support programs (for the 2025-26 academic year) and
  • course completion data (for the 2024-25 academic year).

To make the process easier for schools, the collection of MAP Advising Data has moved to a biennial process. Schools can anticipate the next MAP Advising collection process during the 2027-28 academic year.

Tips for Submitting MAP Advising Data

  • All MAP Advising reporting – advising and support programs and course completion rates – is done via a survey-style format through the GAP Access portal.
  • Pay special attention to on-screen instructions that identify the academic year about which the data must be provided.
  • Advising and support program description fields are pre-populated with previously submitted information, so only updates and any new programs need to be submitted.
  • The only recipient-specific data that needs to be submitted is the number of completed/attempted hours. We obtain graduation and retention rates from the National Student Clearinghouse.
  • Community colleges do not need to report course completion rates because we secure the data from the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). The course completion rate tables appear in GAP Access for all school types, but need not be completed by community colleges.
  • Guidance to assist in reporting data is available in the MAP Advising Data Collection User Guide, which has been updated to reflect the current data collection period and may be accessed via the GAP Access area of the website.

MAP Advising Support Programs Search Tool

Information reported about colleges' available advising and support programs, including links for the college website pages where the individual advising/support programs appear, is available through the MAP Advising Support Programs Search Tool. The searchable/filterable database tool, accessible through the MAP Advising Data Collection area of ISAC's website, contains results from previous collections of advising and support programs being provided to MAP recipients. You may find this information useful in enhancing your advising and support programs. The data, along with completion, retention and graduation rate data, is used when communicating MAP's positive outcomes to the Illinois legislature.

Questions?

Questions regarding the MAP Advising data collection process (including inquiries regarding data elements and survey submission) may be directed to the ISAC Research, Planning and Policy Analysis division at [email protected].

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.