Correction: 2026-27 MAP Payment Implementation

08/24/2026

Please note: This message is being resent to correct the deadline date originally provided. We apologize for any confusion and appreciate your understanding.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is sharing the following information to assist colleges in the administration of the Monetary Award Program (MAP).

Submit MAP First-term Claims by December 4

The 2026-27 MAP payment cycle has begun, allowing first-term claims to be submitted.

• Colleges can submit first-term claims by accessing the MAP system, as well as by File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
• First-term payment requests will be processed on a nightly basis as they are received from colleges, and then submitted to the State Comptroller for payment per standard operating procedures.
• The 2026-27 MAP first-term payment request deadline date is Friday, December 4, 2026.

Program Reminders

• When submitting claims, remember that ISAC has suspended the announcement of 2026-27 MAP grants for all students whose initial FAFSA is received by the federal processor after April 23, 2026.
• A Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the Report tab in the MAP system the day after a payment request has been processed.
  • The report includes Payment Results, Payment Exceptions and Invoice Detail about the payment claim.
  • Be sure to review the report to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.
• Any 2026-27 payment requests that were submitted via FTP prior to today (August 24, 2026) will not be processed, and will need to be resubmitted by the college.
  • In order to prevent having to resubmit data in the future, never submit payment requests via FTP until after ISAC announces it is accepting the data for that academic year.
• Because Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to MAP, refund checks should not be sent for cancellations/adjustments made throughout the award year.
  • Funds should only be returned to ISAC after a final reconciliation has been completed at the end of the regular school year.

Online Resources

• the "Payment" chapter of the MAP User Guide, which will soon be updated to reflect the 2026-27 payment cycle, is located in the MAP Electronic Processing section of the Financial Aid Administrators Processes area, and
• the MAP Payment section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.

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