Financial Aid & Scholarships

General Information

WHAT is federal student aid?

Federal student aid comes from the federal government - specifically, the U.S. Department of Education. It's money that helps a student pay for higher education expenses.

Federal student aid covers such expenses as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation.

There are three main categories of federal student aid: grants, work-study, and loans. Check with your school's financial aid office to find out which programs the school participates in.

WHO gets federal student aid?

Basic eligibility requirements are that you must:

Demonstrate financial need (for most programs - to learn more, visit StudentAid.gov
Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non citizen
Have a valid social security number
Register (if you haven't already) with Selective Service, if you're a male between the ages of 18 and 25;
Show you're qualified to obtain a college or career school education by having a high school diploma or GED certificate
Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school.

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) Representative Information


Name	Telephone	Email
Patricia Garcia	708-606-5463	patricia.garcia@illinois.gov

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) Information

What’s your path after high school?
ISAC can help you find it…

Maybe it’s a four-year degree, or maybe it’s a certificate or vocational school. Maybe you take a gap year or step into a job. ISAC can help you discover what’s possible for you—and we can help provide the support and resources for you to carve a path to get there. In addition to the state grants and scholarships we administer, the ISACorps provides direct services to students and parents statewide in helping them navigate the process of education after high school, financial aid, college search and admissions, and more. Check us out on our website: https://www.isac.org/.