Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program

Program News

(last updated June 2, 2026)

2025-26 Program Funding
2025-26 Payment (submit claims as soon as possible, and no later than July 1, 2026)
2025-26 Award Determination
2025-26 Certification
2025-26 Application

2025-26

Program Funding

The 2026 fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) appropriation for the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship is $8,000,000.

Payment

Important dates and reminders for 2025-26 Teachers of Illinois Scholarship payment processing:

  • A June 2 e-Message provides 2025-26 year-end updates:
    • ISAC will continue to accept 2025-26 TI Scholarship initial claims and increases to previously submitted claims for all terms through (including) Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
    • Adjustments to cancel or reduce previously submitted TI Scholarship claims will continue to be accepted for all terms through (including) Thursday, July 30, 2026.
    • Effective Friday, July 31, 2026, 2025-26 data in the TI system will become available for historical view only.
  • A May 15 e-Message announces:
    • the 2025-26 Teachers of Illinois payment processing cycle has commenced;
    • first, second, and third-term payment requests can be completed and submitted online via the Teachers of Illinois system;
    • although priority claim deadline dates are not being set for the 2025-26 academic year, schools are encouraged to submit claims as soon as possible.

Schools are encouraged to submit payment requests for awarded students as soon as possible. The timely submission of payment requests allows ISAC staff to monitor program funding levels and ensure that available dollars are best leveraged to award as many scholarships as possible without exceeding the appropriation.

Submitting payment requests is a two-step process, which involves generating the request and then submitting the request. Submit claims for individual Teachers of Illinois Scholarship recipients via the "Student Detail: Payment" screen.

Payment results are available in the Teachers of Illinois system each morning. A Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the report tab in the Teachers of Illinois system. The report includes Payment Results and Payment Exceptions as well as Invoice Detail about the payment claim. The Payment Results/Exceptions report should be reviewed regularly to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.

The disbursement of funds is processed by the State Comptroller's Office. Allow four to six weeks for payment processing (i.e., from the date a claim is submitted until funds are received at the college). Refer to the State Comptroller's Website page for information on how to track payment.

For more information, refer to the following resources on ISAC's website:

Teachers of Illinois Payment
Teachers of Illinois Electronic Processing
Teachers of Illinois User Guide 

Award Determination

Awarding for the 2025-26 Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program has taken place for all timely applicants who have been certified as eligible. Award notifications are being sent to all eligible applicants by ISAC and colleges may view award results on the “Student List Eligibility: View Screen” in the Teachers of Illinois system.

Certification

A March 25 e-Message announces that colleges may certify 2025-26 Teachers of Illinois eligibility via the Teachers of Illinois system. The system is available to enter certification data each Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. (CT).

In order to ensure qualified applicants are considered when awarding takes place later this year, colleges are encouraged to complete and submit all certifications as soon as possible.

An overview of the online certification process is available on the Teachers of Illinois Certification page. The Teachers of Illinois User Guide also provides details regarding functionality to certify student eligibility for this program.

Certification screens should be checked often as students may be added on a rolling basis as they are deemed complete.

All Certifications available in the Teachers of Illinois system must be completed regardless of whether the school certifies a student as eligible or ineligible. The only way an applicant will receive one of the notification letters is if the Certification is submitted.

Application

The Teachers of Illinois Scholarship application for the 2025-26 academic year is available to complete and submit to ISAC.

For priority consideration, the 2025-26 Teachers of Illinois Scholarship application and 2025-26 FAFSA or (if applicable) Alternative Application must have been received by February 16, 2026. Complete applications submitted after February 16 will be considered only if funding remains after all timely complete applicants have been awarded. The date through which 2025-26 applications will be accepted is dependent upon application volume and available funding.

The Application Procedures for Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program section includes details about the application process.

Refer to the Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program page of the Students & Parents area for assistance with questions you receive from applicants regarding the Teachers of Illinois application process.