2026-27 MAP Start-Up Implementation

2026-27 MAP Start-Up Implementation is sponsored by Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). Provides financial assistance to eligible students in Illinois for the 2026-27 academic year.

2026-27 MAP Start-up Formula Each year the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is responsible for adopting an allocation formula for the Monetary Award Program (MAP). The Commission approves a "start-up" formula that is used to begin making award announcements for students applying for the next academic year.

Typically, once the Governor and General Assembly take final action on the budget, the Commission revisits the formula in June or July and takes action to approve a "recompute" formula. Unless otherwise noted, all calculations should be rounded to the nearest whole dollar upward from . 500 and downward from .

499. Students who have been paid for 135 or more MAP Paid Credit Hours are not eligible for MAP. On September 18, 2025 , the Illinois Student Assistance Commission approved the 2026-27 (FY27) MAP start-up formula.

Following the FY26 recompute formula, the following is being used in the start-up formula for 2026-27 MAP grants: 2021-22 reported tuition and fees ; the 2021-22 Pell Grant Payment Schedule ; a $5,200 living allowance ; and, an $8,400 maximum award (with an effective maximum of 8,064 after the 4% reduction) .

As was the case with FY26 recompute formula, and as necessitated by FAFSA Simplification, the 2025-27 MAP start-up formula mirrors the federal methodology that allows students with a negative or zero Student Aid Index (SAI) to receive the same maximum Pell amount. Use 2021-22 reported tuition and fees at all institutions, assessed at 100 percent. Use one living allowance for all applicants, set to $5,200.

Use 80 percent of Pell Grant eligibility as determined by the 2021-22 Pell Grant Payment Schedule, which contains a $6,495 maximum.

Calculate the ISAC-adjusted Student Aid Index (SAI) by inflating the SAI: Adjusted Student Aid Index for Dependent Students: If SAI <= 0 set the following = 0 to calculate Adjusted SAI: Parent Contribution (PC), Student Contribution from Income (SCI), Student Contribution from If SAI > 0 and PC < 0 set PC = 0 to calculate Adjusted Parent Contribution Adjustment Factor = [(Parent Contribution/11,000) +1.

10] rounded to 2 decimals places Adjusted PC = PC x Adjustment Factor (round to nearest whole number) Student Contribution (SC) = SCI + SCA Adjusted SC = highest of SC OR self-help expectation Adjusted SAI = Adjusted PC + Adjusted SC Adjusted Student Aid Index for Independent Students: If Student Aid Index (SAI) < 0, set SAI = 0 for calculation of Adjusted SAI Adjustment Factor = [SAI/11,000 + 1.

10] rounded to 2 decimal places Adjusted SAI = highest of SAI x Adjustment Factor (rounded to nearest whole number) OR Use a minimum self-help expectation of $1,800 for all students. Maximum Eligibility = Budget - Resources; if < $300, applicant is not eligible for MAP. Set maximum award equal to lesser of $8,400 or the tuition and mandatory fees specified in the budget.

Set the minimum award to $300; round maximum eligibility in $150 increments to calculate partial awards. Reduce awards by 4% (i.e., multiply by 0. 96).

Applicants with a (Federal) SAI of $9,000 or above are not eligible. If determined necessary after first-term claims are received, either release some suspended applications and/or adjust claims to maximize claims without exceeding the appropriation. Students with 135 or more MAP paid credit hours will not be eligible for MAP.

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