ISAC Student PortalMonetary Award Program (MAP)
Program News
(last updated December 9, 2024)
2025-26 Start-up Update
2025-26 Award Announcements
2025-26 File Layout Specifications
2025-26 Start-up Formula
2024-25 Program Funding
Suspension of 2024-25 Award Announcements
2024-25 Payment
2024-25 Recompute Formula
2024-25 Start-up Implementation
2024-25 Alternative Application Student Record School File Layout Specifications
2024-25 Operational Guide for Alternative Application Processing
2024-25 Award Announcements
2024-25 Start-up Formula
2024-25 File Layout Specifications
2023-24 Reconciliation – Due to ISAC Notifications
Additional MAP References
2025-26
Start-up Update
The 2025-26 FAFSA and Alternative Application (English and Spanish) are now available.
ISAC will announce when the 2025-26 MAP processing cycle has begun and 2025-26 MAP eligibility information is available in the MAP system.
Award Announcements
Colleges are required to announce MAP awards to eligible students enrolled at their institutions. Refer to the MAP Award Announcements area for details regarding college requirements, including the 2025-26 Required School-Issued Award Notification Language.
File Layout Specifications
Effective November 20, 2024, the 2025-26 MAP 160-Byte File Layout Specifications document is available via the Electronic Tools page within the e-Library. The file specifications are pertinent to schools that utilize the file extraction features of the MAP system or send MAP payment requests to ISAC via File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Start-up Formula
On September 19, 2024, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission approved the 2025-26 (FY26) MAP start-up formula, which follows the FY25 recompute formula. See the 2025-26 MAP Formula page for specific details. The 2025-26 Start-up Hand Calculation Forms are available via the MAP Hand Calculation Forms page.
More information – including details about related file layout specifications – will be posted at this website as it becomes available.
2024-25
Program Funding
The 2025 fiscal year (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) appropriation for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) is $711,566,200.
Suspension of Award Announcements
ISAC is suspending the announcement of 2024-25 MAP award announcements for all students whose initial 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is received by the FAFSA Processing System (FPS), or whose initial Alternative Application for Illinois Financial is received by ISAC, on or after August 21, 2024. Effective August 23, 2024, the suspension of MAP award announcements is reflected on the appropriate screens and reports of the MAP system, as well as in the MAP Eligibility File Extraction.
Operational information can be found in the August 15 e-Message and on the Suspension of MAP Award Announcements page.
Payment
Important dates and reminders for 2024-25 MAP payment processing:
- As announced in an August 28 e-Message:
- the 2024-25 MAP payment processing cycle has commenced;
- colleges may submit first-term payment requests (claims), keeping in mind that claims may be submitted no more than 10 days prior to the start of classes for the term for which they are being requested;
- the claim deadline date for the first term was December 6, 2024; and
- the "Payment" chapter of the MAP User Guide and the "2024-25 MAP 160-Byte File Layout Specifications" document have been updated to reflect recent changes to the residency definition, as well as residency override information.
- When submitting claims, remember that ISAC has suspended the announcement of 2024-25 MAP grants for all students whose initial FAFSA is received by the federal processor, or whose initial Alternative Application is received by ISAC, on or after August 21, 2024.
- Any initial claims submitted after a term's claim deadline date will be considered late and will only be paid if funds remain after paying all timely claims.
- 2024-25 payment requests that were submitted via FTP prior to August 28, 2024 will not be processed, and will need to be resubmitted by the college.
- In order to prevent having to resubmit data, 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.
ISAC will announce when colleges may begin submitting claims for the second term.
Claims are submitted by accessing the MAP system, as well as by File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Payment requests are processed on a nightly basis as they are received from colleges, and then submitted to the State Comptroller for payment per standard operating procedures.
Further details are available on the 2024-25 MAP Payment page, as well as in the "Payment" chapter of the MAP User Guide.
Recompute Formula
At its June 20, 2024 meeting, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission approved a recompute formula that is essentially the 2024-25 start-up formula, with some additional clarification that is necessary due to FAFSA Simplification allowing for negative SAIs and parent contributions.
The approved FY25 recompute formula, as well as corresponding hand calculations forms, may be accessed via the 2024-25 MAP Formula area. Also available within this MAP section is information regarding calculating a term award for both semester and quarter schools, guidance for rounding, and access to information about MAP electronic processing.
Because the recompute formula mirrors the start-up formula, no changes are required in the MAP system and daily processing of ISIR data continues as usual.
Start-up Implementation
Both the 2024-25 FAFSA and Alternative Application (English and Spanish) are now available.
As announced in an April 5 e-Message, 2024-25 MAP records – reflecting the start-up formula that was approved at the September 21, 2023 Commission meeting – are available to access via the MAP system. Effective April 9, 2024, all 2024-25 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and Alternative Application Student Records received by ISAC through (including) Monday, April 8, 2024 are available with their accompanying eligibility status information. Daily processing of 2024-25 ISIR, Alternative Application, and eligibility status information has commenced
Also available in the 2024-25 MAP Formula area is the 2024-25 Hand Calculation Forms – Start-up document, as well as information regarding rounding and calculating term awards.
A February 1 e-Message announced that the 2024-25 priority deadline date by which returning MAP recipients are to submit their FAFSA or Alternative Application in order to receive priority access to appropriated funds was extended from February 1 to April 1, 2024 (through and including). Returning recipients are students who received MAP funds during the previous academic year (i.e., for 2024-25, students who received MAP for 2023-24). All MAP eligibility requirements must continue to be met.
Alternative Application Student Record School File Layout Specifications
An Alternative Application Student Record is created for each student who completes an Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application). The application data that is critical to determining eligibility for MAP is provided to schools in the GAP Access portal for each student who has listed that college as a school choice on the student's Alternative Application. The 2024-25 Alternative Application Student Record School File Layout Specifications document is available (in both PDF and Excel formats) via the Electronic Tools page within the e-Library.
Operational Guide for Alternative Application Processing
A 2024-25 Operational Guide for Alternative Application Processing is available to assist schools with issues such as resolving MAP eligibility questions, dealing with conflicting information, correcting data, and managing Alternative Application student records in GAP Access, once 2024-25 data becomes available. The Guide provides ISAC's guidance for each issue and the applicable regulatory and/or rules reference.
As a reminder, the 2024-25 MAP processing cycle will commence after the FAFSA Processing System (FPS) begins providing FAFSA results to colleges and state agencies (anticipated for later in January 2024).
Award Announcements
Colleges are required to announce MAP awards to eligible students enrolled at their institutions. Refer to the MAP Award Announcements area for details regarding college requirements, including the 2024-25 Required School-Issued Award Notification Language.
Start-up Formula
On September 21, 2023, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission approved the 2024-25 (FY25) MAP start-up formula, which follows the FY24 recompute formula and – as necessitated by FAFSA Simplification – replaces "Expected Family Contribution (EFC)" with "Student Aid Index (SAI)" and includes clarification regarding how to handle negative SAIs. See Table One in Agenda Item 5 from the September 21, 2023 Commission meeting, as well as the 2024-25 MAP Formula page, for specific details.
More information – including the 2024-25 Start-up Hand Calculation Forms and information about related file layout specifications – will be posted at this website as it becomes available.
File Layout Specifications
Effective November 22, 2023, the 2024-25 MAP 160-Byte File Layout Specifications document is available via the Electronic Tools page within the e-Library. The file specifications are pertinent to schools that utilize the file extraction features of the MAP system or send MAP payment requests to ISAC via File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
An October 19 e-Message had announced that draft MAP file specifications were available for the 2024-25 processing cycle.
2023-24
Reconciliation – Due to ISAC Notifications
Notifications detailing the outstanding amount that must be refunded to ISAC for 2023-24 MAP awards were e-mailed to financial aid directors in early August. Review the information in the notification and return the appropriate amount – along with a completed Gift Assistance Programs Refund Check Form – no later than September 30, 2024.
Details about returning funds to ISACand the payment offset and reconciliation process are provided in the Refunds and Unpaid Claims section of the Processes area.
Additional MAP References
To access general information about the MAP program, click on one of the links in the right-hand menu. To access the page within the MAP section that addresses the topics listed below, click on the topic.
