JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Updates Regarding GAP Access Security

02/26/2025

This message announces three new ISAC Gift Assistance Programs (GAP) Access portal procedures. ISAC has strict security and confidentiality policies and procedures in place to protect the integrity of student records, and these procedures are being implemented to further protect the safety and integrity of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and data.

GAP Access Passwords Must Be Changed Every 30 Days

Effective immediately, all GAP Access passwords (for Users, Administrators, and Primary Administrators) must be changed every 30 days. All users need a valid GAP Access ID and password to access the system. As a reminder, password resets can be done through the GAP Access portal without contacting ISAC. Passwords must be a minimum of eight characters, and include at least one upper-case letter, one lower-case letter, one numeric digit, and one special character {!@#$%^&+=}.

  • GAP Access password resets can be completed via the GAP Access login page by any current user that is not locked out of the system. Please use the "Forgot Password/Forgot USER ID" link on the User Login page.
    • If an account is in Active status and the user last changed their password over 30 days ago, they will be prompted to change their password upon logging in and will not be allowed to access data before it is changed.
    • To change a password, the user will need to provide the security question responses that were entered when first creating the GAP Access account.
    • Users that do not know their security question responses should contact ISAC's School Services Department for assistance.
  • If a GAP Access user is locked out of their account and unable to reset their password, Primary Administrators and Administrators can provide a temporary password that allows the user to update their password. This function can be found on the "User Administration, Users View" screen in GAP Access.
    • To unlock a user, the Primary Administrators or Administrators would select the KEY ICON next to the user's name which will send a temporary password to the user that is locked out.
    • After receiving the temporary password, the user can then set a new password upon logging into the GAP Access system. The user will be prompted to change their password as soon as they sign in and will not be allowed to access data before it is changed.
  • Further details are provided in the GAP Access user guides.

Individual GAP Access User Accounts Will Be Locked after 60 Days of Inactivity

Also effective immediately, any GAP Access account (User, Administrator, or Primary Administrator) that is not accessed for a period of 60 consecutive days will be locked.

  • As noted above, should a user account become locked because of not being accessed for a period of 60 days, the Primary Administrator at the institution, high school or facility may reactivate the account by following the same steps taken to activate new accounts (see the GAP Access user guides for further details).
  • If the Primary Administrator has been locked out of their account, please contact ISAC's School Services Department for assistance.

Annual User Agreement: GAP Access Data Security and Data Protections Annual Review

Effective immediately, all GAP Access Users, Administrators, and Primary Administrators must annually review and agree to ISAC's data security and protection policies, which are outlined in 23 IL Admin Code 2700.55 and the GAP Access Guidelines. If you would like to review this information before logging into GAP Access, you may do so via the following link:

GAP Access Data Security and Data Protections Annual Review

  • Once a user has successfully completed the two-factor authentication and has logged into GAP Access, they will be presented with the GAP Access Data Security and Data Protections Annual Review agreement. The user must review and select that they agree with the terms to proceed.
  • Following the submission of the user agreement, the user will receive e-mail verification that they have reviewed and agreed to the policies, and a copy of the policies will be provided for the user's records. Once this process is completed, the user will not see this screen again until it is time to endorse the agreement again the next year.

Once updated, the GAP Access user guides will include additional details about this process.

GAP Access Reminders

  • GAP Access has three levels of authorization, with a single Primary Administrator at each institution, high school or facility who is responsible for determining and authorizing the appropriate level of access for other users (if any).
    • Other users who can perform program functions within GAP Access are:
      • Administrators, who can grant privileges, reset passwords and update and view applicant records, and
      • Users, who can update and/or view applicant records.
  • Primary Administrators are able to provide access and assign or update privileges in GAP Access without the need to interact with ISAC.
    • When a Primary Administrator receives a request to approve a new user or to update user privileges, the Primary Administrator completes the necessary steps within the GAP Access portal and finalizes the request.
    • System-generated e-mail messages are automatically sent throughout the process, as applicable, to the Primary Administrator and/or to the staff requesting privileges.
    • ISAC staff need to be involved in completing the registration process only when it is necessary to register a new Primary Administrator or switch the Primary Administrator role to a different staff member.
  • Further details regarding use of the GAP Access portal (including GAP Access user guides) are provided in the GAP Access area of ISAC's website (isac.org).
  • If additional assistance is needed, please contact ISAC School Services by sending an e-mail message to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov or calling 866-247-2172.

You are receiving this message because you registered for ISAC's e-Messaging service through one or more subscription groups for Counselors.

If you have any questions, please contact School Services by sending an e-mail to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov or calling 866.247.2172.