State law requires all Illinois public high school seniors to complete 1) Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) OR 2)Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) OR 3) Non Participation Form, as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma.
Prepare to Fill out the 2026-27 FAFSA Form
Create a StudentAid.gov account (if you don’t already have one)
Learn about the documents you may need to fill out the FAFSA form
Determine your dependency status and whether your parent(s) or spouse will be required to contribute information on your FAFSA form
If you’re a dependent student, use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on your form
Additional Resources
NMSU put together this helpful video!
View the Pro Tips for the 2026-27 FAFSA form
Stay up-to-date with FAFSA announcements and events
The U.S. Department of Education's FAFSA help information
Filling Out the FAFSA Form - https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
Federal Grants: Money that doesn’t have to be repaid (e.g., Pell Grant, state of IL MAP grant).
Federal Loans: Money that must be repaid, usually with interest (e.g., Direct Subsidized Loans)
Work-Study: A program that allows students to work part-time to earn money for college.
Financial Need: FAFSA uses a formula to assess your financial need based on your family's income, assets, and other factors. This helps colleges determine how much aid you may qualify for.
Illinois Student Assistance Commission ISAC's college access and outreach activities are focused on helping families navigate the numerous steps involved in career and college planning as well as finding, applying to and paying for college. These activities provide tremendous support to improving the high school to college transition for students in need. Our contact with ISAC:
Kitana Gulotta
She/Her/Hers
McHenry County College District
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Text: 815-701-8680
Questions about financial aid
Completing the FAFSA - ISAC website information
https://www.isac.org/home/fafsa/
The Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid allows qualifying undocumented students who are not otherwise eligible for federal financial aid to apply for Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants to attend eligible Illinois colleges, universities, and career education programs. The pre-screening questions in this application will help you determine if you are a qualifying undocumented student who is not eligible for federal financial aid. Alternate Application Link: Select Academic Year 2026-2027, START for First-Time Applicants
Students and/or parents who choose to not complete either the FAFSA or the Alternative Application may complete the Financial Aid Application Nonparticipation Form
Directions can be found here ISAC's Student Portal
Form can be found here https://studentportal.isac.org