College Zone and Illinois Community College Board Partner to Open Outreach Centers Throughout the State

Convenient Centers To Provide Students and Families
with Comprehensive Tools for College Planning

Springfield - College Zone, the trusted source for college information from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), today announced its partnership with the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to open comprehensive student resource centers at community college campuses throughout the state.

So far, seventeen community colleges in Illinois have partnered with College Zone in cities such as Bloomington, East Peoria, Springfield, Quincy, and Grayslake. Centers will provide students and families with on-site computer access to the collegezone.com Web site for planning information, year-round assistance for FAFSA (financial aid application) completion, and financial aid counselors available to answer questions and provide information on planning and paying for college. Illinois’ community colleges are stepping up to help ISAC provide a local, convenient area where students and families can work with real people, in addition to getting valuable college information on our Web site,” says Larry Matejka, ISAC’s executive director. “The focus of these outreach centers will include providing hands-on accessibility to collegezone.com as a trusted, one-stop resource for college information, assisting students and families in the process of applying for student aid, and providing college admission and career information.

We are truly excited about this opportunity to work cooperatively with College Zone while building upon our already strong track record of promoting college access in our communities,” said Joe Cipfl, president and chief executive officer of ICCB. “Our students want and need access to these resources.  Now we’re able to provide it to them in a most convenient and appropriate location.”

The College Zone outreach centers, which will be identified on each Illinois community college campus, will be available to students and families within the next few weeks. 

About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education and/or training. Each year, the Commission awards an estimated $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students, and also provides an additional $740 million to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative loans, a 529 prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois!, and a broad array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families have access to the information they need to pay for a college education. More information is available by calling toll-free 800.899.ISAC (4722) or visiting the agency’s Web site at www.collegezone.com.