Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) ISAC Program Participation Agreement
1) All institutions shall execute an ISAC
Program Participation Agreement in order to participate in ISAC gift assistance
programs.
2) The ISAC Program
Participation Agreement shall identify the ISAC programs under which the
institution's students may receive benefits.
3) The ISAC Program Participation Agreement
shall include provisions requiring institutions to comply with, federal and
State laws and regulations.
4) The
ISAC Program Participation Agreement may be modified or terminated in
accordance with 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2790, Limitation, Suspension and Termination
Proceedings.
b) With
respect to ISAC student assistance programs, institutions shall develop and
maintain procedures to verify the consistency and accuracy of information
received from their enrolled recipients.
c) Institutions shall be subject to possible
limitation, suspension or termination of eligibility for failure to comply with
federal and State laws and, regulations and for failure to maintain the
standards required by this Section for initial participation. (See 23 Ill. Adm.
Code 2790.)
d) Postsecondary
institutions that participate in gift assistance programs shall annually submit
to ISAC a copy of their tuition refund policy. The submissions shall not be
considered ISAC approval of the policies.
e) Postsecondary institutions that
participate in MAP are required to have in place or establish a program,
determined by the institution, that is intended to improve MAP recipients'
success, retention and completion in higher education at that institution.
Institutions shall annually submit to ISAC retention, completion and graduation
rate data as well as advising and support program information. This information
is intended to enhance ISAC's ability to evaluate and improve MAP
effectiveness.
f) Postsecondary
institutions that participate in gift assistance programs shall annually report
their tuition and fee charges, as well as initial MAP advance payment requests,
to ISAC on or before June 1 preceding each academic year.
1) Failure to report any cost changes by the
deadline will cause the prior year's charges to be used as part of the
calculation process for gift assistance benefits. Failure to report the
assessment of a fee charge by the deadline will result in that fee charge being
ineligible for payment under ISAC gift assistance programs.
2) The report shall match specific fee
charges with the gift assistance programs that may finance the fee. These
categorizations by the institution shall not be considered ISAC
approval.
3) The Illinois National
Guard Grant and the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) Programs may finance only a
portion of certain fee charges. (See 23 Ill. Adm. Code
2730.30(a) and
2733.30(e).)
A) Example: One fee finances both tuition and
text book expenses. Only the portion of the fee that is attributable to tuition
expenses may be financed with program benefits.
B) Institutions with such a fee shall certify
what percentage of the fee is eligible to be financed with program benefits.
Certification shall be performed by the institution's chief fiscal
officer.
g)
Institutions shall submit additional reports, data and information to ISAC as
may be requested. These inquiries include, but are not limited to, surveys,
enrollment confirmations and evaluation instruments.
h) Additional institutional eligibility
requirements are contained in subsequent Parts of ISAC's rules.
i) Postsecondary institutions may apply to
participate in ISAC-guaranteed loan programs in accordance with 23 Ill. Adm.
Code 2720.
j) Postsecondary
institutions may apply to participate in ISAC gift assistance programs in
accordance with this subsection (j).
1) The
Commission approves participation in ISAC gift assistance programs for an
institution rather than for specific academic programs within an
institution.
2) Prior to applying
for participation in ISAC gift assistance programs, the institutional applicant
must have authority to operate a postsecondary institution in Illinois. (See 23
Ill. Adm. Code 1030.)
3)
Institutional applicants that are fully accredited by the Higher Learning
Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and have
degree-granting authority may be approved to participate in ISAC gift
assistance programs provided the institution meets and maintains the
requirements of subsections (j)(4)(C) and (D).
4) Public or private not for profit
institutional applicants that do not meet the requirements of subsection (j)(3)
may be approved to participate in ISAC gift assistance programs if the
institution has:
A) obtained candidate status
for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools accreditation.
B)
applied for and is seeking degree-granting authority.
C) obtained at least 3 letters indicating the
transferability of academic credit from the applicant institution to other
institutions. The letters must be from institutions that are approved to
participate in the Monetary Award Program (MAP) and are accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools.
D) an adequate number of
qualified persons to administer their responsibilities under ISAC's rules for
gift assistance programs. In determining whether an institution employs an
adequate number of qualified persons, the Commission considers the number of
students aided, the number of programs in which the institution participates,
the number of applications evaluated, the amount of funds administered, and the
financial aid delivery system used by the institution.
5) Institutional applicants must also supply
ISAC with audited financial statements, prepared by an independent third party
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, to establish
financial responsibility. (See, e.g.,
34 CFR
668.15.)
6) Once approved to participate in ISAC gift
assistance programs by the Commission, an institution shall receive provisional
eligibility for a minimum of 5 academic years. An institution with provisional
eligibility must petition the Commission for full eligibility. Full eligibility
will be granted if the institution meets the requirements of subsection (j)(3)
and if there are no outstanding audit exceptions.
k) As a condition of eligibility for
participation in ISAC student assistance programs, postsecondary institutions
shall have a valid Program Participation Agreement with ED (see section 487 of
the HEA (20 U.S.C
1094)) and shall report their Office of
Postsecondary Education Identification (OPE-ID) number to ISAC.
l) In order to begin and to continue
participation in ISAC-administered student assistance programs, institutions
must also demonstrate administrative capability and financial responsibility,
as defined by federal regulations. (See, e.g.,
34 CFR
668.15 and
668.16.) An institution's failure
to meet and maintain those standards can lead to limitation, suspension or
termination proceedings. (See 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2790.)
m) Institutions that have been assigned
multiple main OPE-ID numbers will be considered separate entities by ISAC.
Different campus codes associated with the same main OPE-ID number will not be
considered separate entities.
n) An
institution shall notify ISAC of its Federal Employer Identification Number
(FEIN) in order to receive payment pursuant to any ISAC-administered
program.
o) When an approved
institution has a change of ownership resulting in a change of control, a
change of location, or a change of name as defined by federal regulations, the
institution's Program Participation Agreement with ED may be terminated. After
an institution has undergone a change of status affecting its participation in
any Title IV federal student financial aid programs, the institution may have
its eligibility with ISAC reinstated by the execution of a new Program
Participation Agreement with ED (see, e.g.,
34 CFR
600.31) and by the submission and Commission
approval of a new application for participation with ISAC.
p) In any program in which ISAC is required
by law to participate with approved high schools and/or institutions of higher
learning or educational agencies to create awareness of programs offered by any
of the foregoing institutions or the State (such as the Public University
Uniform Admission Pilot Program Act [110 ILCS 118
]), ISAC and the institution will coordinate. Measures that may be taken by the
institution may include, but are not limited to, the following:
1) providing ISAC an institutional contact to
serve as the liaison with ISAC to coordinate outreach efforts;
2) timely providing ISAC with the necessary
program information or materials for timely communications to the applicable
Illinois residents; and
3)
developing an outreach plan prior to deployment and then reviewing the efficacy
of the plan periodically thereafter to ensure that:
A) ISAC and the institution's outreach
efforts are appropriately distributed regionally and demographically;
and
B) outreach materials and
programs are up-to-date and appropriate.
