State Scholar Program Appeals

{ISAC Rules, Sections 2700.70 (a & 2760.30 (j}

If the high school counselor feels that a student should have been designated as a State Scholar and was not, the student, high school counselor or other official must write a letter of appeal within 60 days following the announcement of the finalists.

An appeal may be submitted for an entire class or an individual student. ISAC will calculate the Weighted Selection Score (WSS) based on appeal information and notify the high school of the results.

Appeals regarding 2026-27 State Scholars were due by February 13, 2026.

The deadline date for appeals regarding 2027-28 State Scholars will be determined after the final round of announcements takes place in fall 2026.

Entire Class:

In order for an appeal to be processed for an entire class, send an email to Partner Services at [email protected], including the reason for the appeal and attaching an Excel file (for example, the 2026-27 SSP Appeal Template for 2026-27 State Scholars) to report the sixth semester data in the required format. The email must also include the sixth semester class size, unweighted rank or unweighted GPA and GPA scale and the contact information (name & email address) of the SSP contact at the school.

Individual Students:

A letter explaining the basis for the appeal for an individual student must include the following required sixth semester information. Appeals for individual students can be mailed to the address below, faxed to 847.831.8549, or submitted to Partner Services via an email to [email protected].

  • Student’s name;
  • If the student is an Illinois resident (yes or no);
  • High School’s six-digit ACT code, name, and address;
  • Dates and test scores of SAT or ACT;
  • Class size;
  • GPA scale (4.0, 5.0 or other)*; and
  • Unweighted class rank (if the school ranks) or the unweighted GPA (if the school does not rank).*

*The GPA scale and the calculated unweighted GPA must be consistently applied for all students reported.

Assistant Director, Program Operations
Program Services and Compliance Division
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
1755 Lake Cook Road
Deerfield, IL 60015-5209