MAP Appeals

While a financial aid administrator may assist a student in the appeal request, all appeals must be submitted in writing, by the student, within 60 days of an administrative decision by ISAC. All written appeals must be sent to:

Manager, Program Operations
Program Services and Compliance Division
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
1755 Lake Cook Road
Deerfield, IL 60015

A written response from ISAC will be sent to the student within 15 working days of the receipt of the written appeal.

Ineligible applicants will be notified in writing and advised of the reason for denial of a MAP grant. An administrative decision may be appealed in writing to Program Operations to restore eligibility. This chart outlines some common situations that may be appealed and the acceptable documentation to assist the evaluation of the appeal.

Situation	Basis for Appeal	Acceptable Documentation
MAP eligibility suspended due to a defaulted loan.	Proof of satisfactory payment arrangements (i.e., six consecutive monthly payments) or paid-in-full notice.	Appeal approved by Program Operations
Parents are divorced, custodial parent lives out-of-state so the FAFSA Submission Summary or ISIR reflects a non-Illinois residence.	As the result of a recent amendment to the residency definition in General Provisions of ISAC Administrative Rules, a student residing in Illinois with a divorced parent who was not the required parent for FAFSA purposes can possibly be eligible.	The school would have to do a dependent residency override.
Independent student is not eligible for a grant because the FAFSA Submission Summary or ISIR reflects a non-Illinois address and/or state of legal residence.	Documentation to prove that student was an Illinois resident for 12 continuous months prior to the start of the academic year.	Other documentation not listed in the ISAC Rules, but which provides necessary proof of Illinois residency. Proof of in-state employment on company letterhead
Student is not eligible for a grant because eligibility exceeds the ISAC limit of units or MAP Paid Credit Hours.	MAP grant eligibility is terminated at the point a student reaches the limit of units or MAP Paid Credit Hours and may not be reinstated through appeal.	None

State law (Public Act 93-812) prohibits exempting moneys held in college savings bonds from calculation of financial aid eligibility. As a result, those moneys will count as assets in determining a student's eligibility for state and federal financial assistance.