ISAC Student PortalHELP Eligibility
NOTICE: 2026-27 Alternative Application
As of July 24, 2026, a federal district court ruled that undocumented students are no longer eligible to receive state financial assistance from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the 2026-2027 school year. As a result, the 2026-27 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, the application certain undocumented students would have used to apply for state financial aid programs this academic year, is no longer available. This means that if you are an undocumented student who completed or plan to complete the Alternative Application for the 2026-2027 school year, ISAC is not allowed to pay ISAC grants or scholarships to you or your institution for the 2026-27 school year.
There are updated eligibility criteria or the 2027–28 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid This application is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2026. Please visit isac.org/AlternativeApp for more information.
{ISAC Rules, Section 2737.20}
A qualified applicant shall be:
- a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen (FSA Handbook, Volume 1 Chapter 2);
- a resident of Illinois;
- enrolled at a degree-granting, not-for-profit private college or university located in Illinois that participates in the collegiate license plate program through the Illinois Secretary of State;
- able to demonstrate financial need with the completion of the FAFSA;
- maintaining satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution (for renewal applicants only); and
- an undergraduate student and have not received a baccalaureate degree.
