Whether you’re planning to go to college, are attending now, or have recently graduated, College Zone can help you take all the right steps to make your experiences and transitions go smoothly.

Click on the appropriate link (at left) to identify your current grade or experience level.

Student Message Board

The Student Message Board is updated each week. New messages for the week are identified by the  symbol. Items under the More section, located toward the bottom of the page, provide links to information on topics that were recently listed on this Message Board.

 A State Legislative Update, which was last updated on July 2nd, contains the status of bills that pertain to programs administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and higher education in general.

 In observance of the Independence Day holiday, ISAC offices will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, reopening on Monday, July 6th. Access collegezone.com anytime, or send an e-mail message to an ISAC College Zone Counselor for questions or inquiries.

Information regarding the Impact of Budget Cuts on MAP Grant Aid and Other State Programs, including links to files illustrating the effect that proposed appropriation reductions would have on Illinois students, is available here at College Zone.

If you have not already done so, be sure to sign up for College Zone's e-Messaging service to receive future budget information as it relates to ISAC-administered gift assistance programs.

Information regarding the new Income Based Repayment (IBR) plan for federal student loans, which takes effect on July 1, 2009, is provided at the Student Aid on the Web site. Included are details regarding eligibility requirements, the benefits of IBR, and an IBR payment calculator.

If you plan to attend college in the upcoming fall, check out the 2009-10 edition of the U.S. Department of Education's Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid. Information, including how to apply, is provided regarding grant, loan and work-study programs available through the Federal Student Aid office. The resource is available in English and Spanish, and may be viewed online or downloaded as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.

If you have been named an Illinois 2009-10 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholars, remember that completed Eligibility Certification forms are due back to ISAC on or before
July 15, 2009. Further details are available at the Student Zone's Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program page. Congratulations to all Illinois high school students who have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievement.

As part of a planned interest rate reduction, subsidized undergraduate loans made through the Federal Stafford Loan Program that are disbursed on or after
July 1, 2009 and on or before June 30, 2010, will carry an interest rate of 5.6% [subsidized Stafford loans for graduate students and unsubsidized Stafford loans for all students will continue to have a fixed interest rate of 6.8%, and Federal PLUS Loans made through the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) will continue to have a fixed rate of 8.5%].

More

Outreach Calendar/Events

2009-10 State Scholar Announcements

U.S. Department of Education's Federal Aid First

List of ISAC's Participating Lenders

State & Federal Aid Estimator

Federal Student Aid's FAFSA4caster

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