ISAC Student PortalISAC in the News
July 10, 2025 - PE class inspired Washington high school students to pursue special education careers - Thanks to a grant from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, college tuition and fees for all five students are covered.
July 2, 2025 - New Illinois Law Authorizes Direct Admissions At Public Universities - Illinois has become the latest state to create a direct college admissions program at its public universities.
June 12, 2025 - Graduate test prep program to lose state funding - The program received $10 million in the budget year ending June 30 and provided students with free access to more than 40 test prep courses, including graduate-level admission exams, according to Lynne Baker, a communications director at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, one of the program’s partners.
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May 27, 2025 - The Graduate’s Burden: How Illinois Is Confronting The Student Loan Crisis - With $63 billion in collective student loan debt, new forgiveness programs and innovative solutions aim to help borrowers. But state funding and public awareness remains an obstacle.
May 23, 2025 - Illinois Legislature passes bills designed to give FAFSA help -Lawmakers at the Capitol have approved two proposed laws that could end up making filing for college student aid easier and more convenient.
May 22, 2025 - IL bills to help students with FAFSA applications passed out of the Senate unanimously - One bill would require one person in the school, whether staff or a teacher, to become a FAFSA assistant. Their role would be to help students with any problems when filling out their applications. The other bill would require schools to allow some time out of the school day to allow students to complete their FAFSA applications.
May 1, 2025 - Advocates press for continued funding to college test prep support program - The program, a collaboration between the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the educational service company Kaplan, allows students free access to more than 40 prep courses including graduate-level admissions exams such as the LSAT for law school, as well as courses in data analytics, cybersecurity and real estate.
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February 17, 2025 - Student MAP grants lower than expected - College students who receive Monetary Awards Program grants are seeing an 8% cut in their spring semester assistance after a higher-than-expected number of eligible students enrolled in classes this school year.
January 15, 2025 - MAP grant disbursement decreases for Spring 2025 - MAP grant amounts will be reduced by 8%, up to $336 per student for the spring 2025 semester.
January 13, 2025 - Contractors brace for the demise of diversity initiatives - Blum's radar last year picked up an Illinois scholarship program for minority teachers, established by the General Assembly in 1992 and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
January 3, 2025 - Advocates and Educators call on Illinois to restore monetary award program for incarcerated students - Following the bipartisan reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated people which was signed into law in 2020 and went into effect this year, Illinois’ Back on the MAP campaign is pushing the state to restore Monetary Award Program (MAP) eligibility to people in prison by passing HB3740.
