JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

2024-25 ECACE Scholarship Awarding and Payment Implementation

09/24/2024

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is sharing the following information to assist colleges in the administration of the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program.

You may either scroll through the remainder of this message, or click on the appropriate link(s) to go directly to a specific section:

Awarding Has Been Completed

Submit ECACE Fall-term Claims by December 31st

Request for Assistance Sent to College Presidents, Chancellors, and Chief Student Service Officers

Awarding Has Been Completed

Awarding has taken place for 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship Program applicants based on certification records that were completed by the colleges before September 24th. Awarding prioritization was based on an applicant's renewal status (meaning the student was paid ECACE Scholarship benefits in the 2023-24 award year), the application receipt date, and the applicant's Student Aid Index (SAI), awarding first to those with the lowest (-1500) SAIs. Award notifications are being delivered to awarded students by ISAC. Colleges may access 2024-25 eligible award information, including funded or unfunded status, using the ECACE system. Award results may be viewed on the "Student List Eligibility: View" screen.

While all 2024-25 ECACE Scholarships were awarded to timely renewal applicants with an SAI of -1500, sufficient funding was not available to award all applicants who meet these criteria. Eligible students unable to receive an award due to funding limitations will also receive communication from ISAC informing them of this status. Please note that it is highly unlikely that any students receiving a letter notifying them of insufficient funds for an award will receive an ECACE Scholarship this year.

Submit ECACE Fall-term Claims by December 31st

Effective immediately, colleges may submit 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship fall (Term 1 for semester and quarter schools) payment requests (i.e., claims) for students who have been awarded a scholarship. In order to be considered timely, first-term payment requests for the 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship Program must be submitted on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2024, and colleges are always encouraged to submit payment requests as soon as they are able to do so. The timely submission of payment requests and cancellations/adjustments allows ISAC staff to monitor remaining funds and award other students, as applicable.

Processing Reminders

  • Within the ECACE system, submit claims for individual certified ECACE Scholarship recipients via the "Student Detail: Payment" screen or in batches for a group of certified students via the "Payment Request Entry" screen.
  • The maximum award amount that may be claimed during the academic year is populated in the "Max Annual Award Amount" field of the ECACE system.
    • Due to limited funding, the 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship maximum annual award is the lesser of $7,500 or the cost of attendance after other aid is considered.
  • There are no term award limits for this program – colleges must determine the term award amount(s) based on other financial aid the student is receiving, keeping in mind that the ECACE Scholarship is last payer, and can be used for any cost of attendance component.
  • While the scholarship is an annual award, schools are also asked to indicate if a student is not eligible for payment on a per-term basis.
    • Please note that the ECACE system will de-obligate/remove a student's full award if one of the following Ineligible reasons is selected during the payment request process:
      • Not a US citizen/eligible non-citizen
      • Not a HS grad/no GED
      • Student is not accepting ECACE Scholarship
    • The system will not remove the award if any of the following Ineligible reasons is selected during the payment request process:
      • Defaulted student loan
      • Not making satisfactory academic progress
      • No remaining unmet cost
      • Enrolled less than 3 credit hours
      • Not pursuing an early childhood education major
      • Not enrolled this term
  • Submitting claims is a two-step process, which involves generating the request and then submitting the request.
  • By submitting a payment request to ISAC, a college is confirming that the student is enrolled and continues to meet all eligibility criteria.
  • Payment results are available in the ECACE system each morning (for example: results for claims submitted through the end of the day on Tuesday, September 24th will be available in the ECACE system the morning of Wednesday, September 25th).
  • A Payment Result Summary and Invoice Detail Report can be viewed or printed by selecting the Report tab in the ECACE 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 Comptroller's Office.
    • Allow four to six weeks for payment processing (i.e., from the date a claim is submitted until funds are received at the college).
    • Refer to the State Comptroller's Website page for information on how to track payment.

Resources Available Online

More information is available at the following locations on ISAC's website:

Request for Assistance Sent to College Presidents, Chancellors, and Chief Student Service Officers

A joint communication (dated September 23, 2024) from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and ISAC has been sent to college presidents, chancellors, and chief student service officers. The communication encourages institutions to exercise all available flexibility in order to protect students, who may have enrolled or returned to college because they hoped for continued ECACE Scholarship support, from academic or financial penalties.

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