Application Procedures for Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program

Application Process
Acknowledgement of Application
Incomplete and Ineligible Applications
Renewal Application

Application Process

The priority application consideration date for the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program application and the corresponding Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid was February 16, 2026.

Complete applications received after this date are considered for the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship only if funding remains after all timely complete applicants have been awarded.

Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Application

The Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program application can be accessed from the Teachers of Illinois Application page in the Students & Parents area or directly from the ISAC Student Portal. In order to apply online, the applicant must sign in to the Student Portal (if they have not already done so, they may create a profile here), select Program Applications & Status Checks, then select "Teachers of Illinois Apply Here". Encourage applicants to carefully read the instructions and eligibility requirements before beginning to complete the application.

Students should follow the on-screen instructions for entering and submitting their data via the online application. An email acknowledgement is sent as soon as they submit the Application/Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note (different email acknowledgements are sent depending on whether the application is signed or unsigned).

By signing the application's Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note, the student promises to fulfill their teaching requirement according to the rules of the program under which they receive assistance. The applicant’s signature is legally binding. The applicant is promising to fulfill the teaching requirement or repay the funds received (prorated as appropriate) plus 5% interest and any reasonable collection costs. Recipients must begin to fulfill their teaching requirements within one year following the completion of the postsecondary education degree or certificate program for which the scholarship is awarded.

Available soon: After the application is submitted to ISAC, Teachers of Illinois scholarship processing (Certification through Program Requirements) will be done by colleges via the Teachers of Illinois system in the GAP Access portal. When an application is received by ISAC, a record is added to the college’s database in the Teachers of Illinois system that can be viewed by selecting the Student tab to display the Student List Eligibility: View screen. Application information will appear on the Student List Eligibility: View screen either as complete or incomplete. An application will remain incomplete until the Application/Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note is received by ISAC. The Student List Eligibility: View screen includes the application status icons that indicate student eligibility issues or conflicts and sort and filter functions similar to what is available for other programs processed via GAP Access.

Refer to the Teachers of Illinois User Guide (anticipated to be available soon) to learn about the application process, screen layout and icons that identify student eligibility issues and conflicts.

FAFSA/Alternative Application

In addition to the Teachers of Illinois application, students must also submit the corresponding year’s FAFSA or (if applicable) Alternative Application by the February 16 deadline for priority consideration.

Acknowledgement of Application

When ISAC receives the applicant’s signed Application/Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note, an email acknowledging that their application was received and is being processed is sent. A Teachers of Illinois Notice of Application – Received Timely is sent if the application is received on or before the priority deadline of February 16. A Teachers of Illinois Notice of Application – Received Untimely is sent if the application is received after February 16. The email also reminds applicants to:

notify the school they will be attending of their enrollment plans; and
notify ISAC in writing of any changes to their enrollment plans or address changes.

Incomplete and Ineligible Applications

For purposes of the application priority consideration date, applications will not be considered for processing until the date that a complete Application/Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note is received at ISAC. A Teachers of Illinois Notice of Incomplete Application is sent identifying the additional information that is needed. A Teachers of Illinois Notice of Ineligibility is sent if a student does not meet one or more of the eligibility criteria.

if applicable, applicants can anticipate to receive a response from ISAC within 12 weeks.

Renewal Applicants

Renewal applicants must submit a new Teachers of Illinois application and FAFSA or Alternative Application (if applicable) each year on or before the application priority consideration date specified for that year. Applications used in a previous academic year will not be accepted and processed for award consideration in the new academic year.

For the 2025-26 academic year, students who were awarded an MTI scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year will be considered renewal applicants.