Apply for financial aid 

General eligibility requirements include that you have financial needs, are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at Kish. 

• The 2025-2026 FAFSA is for the Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 semesters. It asks for 2023 tax and income information.
• The 2026-2027 FAFSA is for the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and Summer 2027 semesters. It asks for 2024 tax and income information.
• Your FAFSA application needs to be renewed every year you plan on attending college and receiving financial aid.
• Obtain a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) for the student and at least one parent (if dependent) to sign and submit the FAFSA.
• Apply at studentaid.gov.
• Review your Student Aid Report to determine potential eligibility.
• Complete additional documentation as requested by the Department of Education and the College. To access these, review your myKish Self-Service page once the FAFSA has been received.

The Retention of Illinois Student and Equality (RISE) Act allows access to state financial aid (i.e. State of Illinois MAP Grant) to previously ineligible students.

For additional information, including a link to the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, please visit Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act and Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid or contact the Kishwaukee College Financial Aid Office.

Students are able to decline to use the State of IL MAP Grant (Est) if they wish to use these funds at a later time. For instance, someone may want to decline to use the remainder of their State of IL MAP Grant (Est) so that they may use it to obtain their bachelor's degree.

These students include:

• Undocumented students who are Illinois residents
• Transgender students who do not complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) due to the requirement to report their gender at birth.

Beginning Spring 2020 undergraduate students...

• who are in good academic standing
• and who were previously ineligible (after using 75 funded credit hours) to receive the State of IL MAP Grant (Est) at a two-year school

...may now be eligible to use State of Illinois MAP Grant (est) funds up to 135 credit hours at a two-year school.

Effective January 6, 2020, students who are unable to complete the FAFSA due to citizenship status or inability to register for the selective service based on birth gender, may be eligible to complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (formally known as the RISE Act Application) to determine eligibility for the State of IL Map Grant (est).

The application consists of pre-screening questions to confirm if an individual should complete the FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.

• Individuals the application indicates should complete the FAFSA will be advised to consult their high school counselor, a financial aid professional or an ISACorps member for assistance completing the FAFSA.
• Individuals who should complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid will have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculated, which will be used by their college.
• State of IL Map Grant (est) awards will be calculated for eligible students and sent to the college.
• Colleges will notify students of their State of IL Map Grant (est) eligibility.

Please note: Similar to the FAFSA, individuals must complete the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid each academic year to apply for MAP Grants.

Please be sure to review the User's Guide and Resources for the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid prior to completing your application.

• Students determined to be Dependent are required to include their parent’s information on the FAFSA.
• Students determined to be Independent are required to include information on their household only. Common criteria to be considered an Independent student are:
  • You are 24 years old prior to Jan. 1 of the current award year.
  • You are married as of the day you sign your FAFSA.
  • You have dependents other than a spouse for whom you provide more than half of their financial support.
  • You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
  • You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training.
  • You are an orphan or a ward of the court.

For financial aid, you should use the information for the parent who paid the most for your support during the past year.

The Department of Education selects students for verification, mostly at random. The College may also select you for "institutional" verification if you have conflicting information between the FAFSA and other paperwork.