JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

2024-25 Golden Apple Updates

09/11/2024

Unless otherwise noted, links in this message are to corresponding pages at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) website (isac.org).

The following information is being shared to assist colleges in the administration of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program. Effective today, eligibility data is available and first-term payment requests (i.e., claims) are being accepted for the 2024-25 academic year.

Student Records Available to View in the Golden Apple System

Colleges may view a listing of their institution's potential 2024-25 Golden Apple Scholars, as reported by the Golden Apple Foundation, via the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen within the Golden Apple system.

Reminders

  • Student eligibility is certified by the Golden Apple Foundation, rather than by the college.
  • Once a student has been certified as eligible by the Golden Apple Foundation, their award will immediately appear on the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen within the Golden Apple system.
  • To assist colleges as they administer the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program on their campuses, "Eligible Indicators" are available in the system.
  • Each recipient's maximum annual award amount is based on the number of years that they have been a Golden Apple Scholar, rather than their academic level in college.
    • The "Year in Program" column of the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen represents the number of years that a student has been a Golden Apple Scholar (for example, records for Scholars receiving their first award this year will have a value of "1" in the "Year in Program" field).
      • Values that the Golden Apple Foundation may provide for the "Year in Program" field are as follows:

        1 = 1st year as a Golden Apple Scholar
        2 = 2nd year as a Golden Apple Scholar
        3 = 3rd year as a Golden Apple Scholar
        4 = 4th year as a Golden Apple Scholar
        5 = 5th year as a Golden Apple Scholar

    • The "Academic Level" field on the "Payment Requests" screen is available for colleges to provide each Scholar's academic level (e.g., Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior) as part of the payment request process.
  • If a potential Golden Apple Scholar has been awarded a Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship or Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW), indicators will appear in the MTI system and/or SETTW system.
    • A student cannot receive benefits from more than one ISAC teacher program in the same academic year.
  • All users need a valid GAP Access ID and password to access the Golden Apple system.
    • ISAC relies on a designated Primary Administrator (usually, the financial aid director) at each institution to authorize users and provide them with the appropriate level of access for each ISAC program, including Golden Apple.
    • Further details may be found in the GAP Access User Guides, and questions may be directed to ISAC's School Services Department.

First-Term Payment Requests Being Accepted

Initial payment request records are now available online via the Golden Apple system, allowing 2024-25 Golden Apple payment processing to commence.

In order to be considered timely, first-term payment requests for the 2024-25 Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program must be submitted on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2024. Colleges are always encouraged to submit payment requests as soon as they are able to do so.

Reminders

  • By submitting a Golden Apple payment request, the institution is certifying that the Scholar is enrolled and continues to meet all eligibility requirements.
    • If not submitting a payment request, the institution reports the reason for the student's ineligibility.
  • The Golden Apple payment request process includes colleges providing each Scholar's academic level (e.g., Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior) via the "Academic Level" field.
    • Each Golden Apple recipient's maximum annual award amount is based on the number of years that they have been a Golden Apple Scholar (i.e., "Year in Program"), not their academic level in college.
    • As stated above, verification of the "Year in Program" value is part of the initial certification process completed by the Golden Apple Foundation.
  • Submitting Golden Apple payment requests is a two-step process, which involves generating the request (either individually or in a batch) and then submitting the request.
  • Payment functionality is available each day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (CT).
    • Payment requests submitted by 7 p.m. (CT) will be included in that night's processing, with payment results available the next business day.
    • Results for payment requests submitted after 7 p.m. (CT) will be included in the following night's processing.
  • Results for payment requests received are provided via the Golden Apple system.
    • The Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the Report tab in the Golden Apple system the day after a payment request has been processed.
      • The report includes Payment Results, Payment Exceptions and Invoice Detail about the payment claim.
      • Be sure to review the report to see which requests, if any, did not process as expected.
  • The disbursement of funds is processed by the State of Illinois Comptroller's Office.
  • Because Payment Offset and Reconciliation procedures apply to the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program, 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.

Resources Available Online

Resources regarding this program are available in the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program section of the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area.

The Golden Apple User Guide may be accessed via the Golden Apple Electronic Processing page of the FAA – Processes area.

Watch for Future Updates

Future program updates will be announced via ISAC's usual means of communication (e.g., the FAA Message Board, the Golden Apple Program News page, and/or this e-Messaging system.

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

If you have any questions regarding this e-Message, please contact ISAC's School Services Department by calling toll free at 866.247.2172 or sending an e-mail message to isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov.