Advocates press for continued funding to college test prep support program

Chicago Tribune

01-05-2025

Supporters of a state program providing free test preparation to students at public universities and some community colleges said Wednesday the effort has saved students over $8 million in just two months, but needs $10 million in state funding to remain in operation.
Illinois launched the program in late February, becoming the first state to offer free comprehensive test preparation for college students and already serving more than 200,000 students statewide. The program, a collaboration between the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the educational service company Kaplan, allows students free access to more than 40 prep courses including graduate-level admissions exams such as the LSAT for law school, as well as courses in data analytics, cybersecurity and real estate.
Lawmakers would have to provide the additional funding by June 30 to keep the program available for a full school year. At a news conference Wednesday to call attention to the program, Dave Adams, a senior vice president with Kaplan, said 'the true sign-up period for all these courses and test preps' is not slated to begin until the fall.
'There are always barriers when you spend taxpayer dollars,' said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat who led efforts to secure $10 million in the 2024 budget to fund the program. 'It has to be debated, and it has to be proven to be worthy so that's what we're doing and we're going to continue to get evidence that this is worthy, so that when we go into our budget debates we could continue to push for it with evidence.'
Since late February, more than 2,200 students across the University of Illinois system have enrolled in Kaplan courses for free through the program, saving them almost $6 million, according to Janet Gooch, chancellor of the University of Illinois Springfield. About 500 students have enrolled in courses, primarily under the physician assistant and lawyer topics, in the Southern Illinois University system. Nick Marquez, a graduate student at UIS, said the program allowed him to pursue his goal of attending law school.
'Without it, I simply wouldn't have the tools and resources to compete at the same level as others who could afford professional test prep courses,' Marquez said. 'Having structured weekly classes, personalized practice tools and life tutor support has been a game changer for me.'
Adams said over 60% of the students utilizing this state program are minority students and over a third are low-income or first-generation students.
Erin Steva, vice president of external affairs at Chicago State University, said her school's faculty often helped students pay for test preparation resources before the state program went into place. About 89% of Chicago State students are low-income, over 60% struggle with their basic needs and about 22% of students are parents, Steva said.
'Access to standardized tests and test prep services is a huge barrier,' Steva said. 'We have to be intentional about getting our students into college, through college and into those careers, and this is an absolutely essential investment in
that pipeline.'
In addition to helping students, the program also brings a return on investments for the state, according to state Sen. Michael Halpin, a Democrat from Rock Island. Halpin said the program encourages students to attend college in the state, supports higher rates of employment in the state workforce and motivates students to give back to their universities once employed.
The Illinois Academy of Physicians Assistants also 'strongly supports' continued funding for the program, said Jayson Coble, a physician assistant at St. John's Hospital in Springfield.
'It helps solve two separate but growing crises in Illinois — inequitable access to health care and the growing shortage of qualified health care professionals, doctors, nurses, PAs, pharmacists and the like,' Coble said.
While Ford is only asking for state funding to support the universities and community colleges now participating in the program, he said other community colleges and even some private institutions have asked to be included. Expanding the program would depend on funding approval by the legislature.
'But let us be clear here today that it is just the beginning,' Ford said. 'Funding for this program must be reauthorized. If we believe in equity, if we believe in workforce readiness, in building a better Illinois, we need to make sure that this program continues, continues to impact the future of our state and the lives of our students and our public universities.'