ISAC Update

VOL. 42, NO. 8F
February 2025

Welcome to the February 2025 ISAC Update for financial aid administrators and business officers. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout February.

The articles in this Update have been organized according to the FAA subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.

Questions?

Questions regarding information in this ISAC Update can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.

MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTION GROUPS

Updates Regarding GAP Access Security
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools – Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAP Users, Business Officers, ECACE Administrators, and NES Schools on February 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:

• 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.

Alternative Application Student  Record School File Layout Updates
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, MAP Users, and Business Officers on February 21, 2025.

The 2025-26 Alternative Application Student Record School File Layout has been posted to the Electronic Tools page in the e-Library at isac.org. Please note that some data elements are no longer viewable on the extract file. Those include:

• Student Street Address
• Parent Street Address
• High School Name
• High School City

The implementation of this change to the data provided on the Alternative Application Student Record extract file also applies to other academic years as well, including 2024-25. Colleges may continue to rely on data provided in the MAP system in the GAP Access portal for information not accessible on the Alternative Application Student Record extract file.

Additionally, in an effort to better secure and protect student data, the ability to request an Alternative Application Student Record extract file will be limited to GAP Access users who have been designated as the institution's Primary Administrator and to users who have been set up as an Administrator by the institution.

Questions about the changes made to the Alternative Application Student Record file layout or the ability to request the file may be directed to School Services at isac.schoolservices@illinois.gov or 866-247-2172.

Registration Is Open for the 2025 ILASFAA Conference
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools – Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAP Users, Business Officers, ECACE Administrators, and NES Schools on February 10, 2025.

Saddle up and join your ILASFAA partners March 26-28, 2025, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in East Peoria, IL for a conference packed with valuable knowledge and insights, inspiration and motivational sessions, policy updates, professional development opportunities, and so much more!

Early bird registration is available until February 28, 2025, so make sure to secure your spot!

For more information about the conference and to register, visit the conference page on ILASFAA's website.

Scholarships are still available for this event. The application form is posted in the member portal and open until February 14^th.

February Webinars for FAAs
Sent to Financial Aid Directors, Financial Aid Administrators, Public Schools – Participating in the ING Grant and IVG Programs, MAP Users, Business Officers, ECACE Administrators, and NES Schools on February 4, 2025.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will offer the following webinars for financial aid administrators during the month of February.

• Tuesday, February 11, 10 a.m. – Q & A Session About ISAC Programs, Open Forum Style

• Wednesday, February 26, 2 p.m. – Monthly Operational Update and Program News

To participate, visit the Partner Training page in the e-Library on the day of the event to access the webinar link and presentation materials.

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ISAC UPDATE

January 2025 Electronic ISAC Update
Sent on February 3, 2025.

The January 2025 edition of the ISAC Update is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org. This version of the electronic ISAC Update is a compilation of e-Messages sent to financial aid administrators and business officers via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.

Topics covered in the January 2025 ISAC Update include:

• Reminder: Register Now – Success Network Conference
  (sent January 30, 2025)
• Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
  (sent January 24, 2025)
• 2024-25 iGROW Tech Awards Announced
  (sent January 21, 2025)
• Submit 2024-25 Claims and Benefit Usage Data for Second Term
  (sent January 21, 2025)
• Register Now – Success Network Conference
  (sent January 10, 2025)
• Reminder of January Webinars for FAAs
  (sent January 10, 2025)
• Submit MAP Advising Data by April 1
  (sent January 7, 2025)
• January Webinars for FAAs
  (sent January 3, 2025)
• ISAC Accepting 2024-25 MAP Second-Term Claims
  (sent January 2, 2025)
• December 2024 Electronic ISAC Update
  (sent January 2, 2025)

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