Section 2745.30  Program Procedures

a)         An applicant must:

1)         file a FAFSA by June 1 prior to the academic year for which assistance is being requested; and

2)         provide proof that the applicant is unemployed and has been actively searching for employment and that the applicant was enrolled on the Department of Employment Security's job-search website for at least 6 months prior to the date the application is submitted by the applicant.

b)         The scholarship shall be sufficient to cover the cost of tuition and fees to attend the community college, but in no event shall the scholarship exceed $2,000 per scholarship recipient per academic year.

c)         Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters of enrollment within an academic year.

d)         The total amount of a scholarship awarded by the Commission under this Part to an individual in any given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the community college at which the student is enrolled.

e)         The scholarship will be disbursed in installments depending on the number of terms financed by the scholarship.

f)         The scholarship payment is subject to the availability of funds and the amounts appropriated to ISAC by the General Assembly.  If funds appropriated for the program are insufficient to provide scholarships to each eligible applicant, the Commission will prioritize the distribution of scholarships based on factors that include an applicant's financial need, duration of unemployment, prior level of educational attainment, and the FAFSA filing date.

g)         It is the responsibility of applicants to gain admission to their local approved Illinois community college.  Institutions are not obligated to admit them based upon their participation in the scholarship program.