02-04-2025
University Of Illinois To Pilot New Community College Transfer Program
The University of Illinois system is planning to pilot a new program aimed at increasing transfer ... More rates by community college students.
The University of Illinois system will team up with One Million Degrees, a Chicago-based nonprofit that supports community college students, to pilot a multiyear program aimed at increasing transfer rates from community colleges to four-year universities.
The program will focus on first-generation students across Illinois. Plans call for the pilot to serve as many as 240 students initially in two cohorts from Illinois community colleges selected by the university. The first cohort will be recruited this fall for a pilot beginning spring 2026, and the second cohort will start in spring 2027.
The initiative will provide eligible students a comprehensive suite of wraparound support services — including academic coaching, financial assistance and career advice — as they transfer to University of Illinois System campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield.
The U of I system will evaluate the pilot to assess the possibility of later scaling the program beyond the initial pilot partners. The ultimate goal is to increase transfer and bachelor's degree completion rates, preparing the participants for careers in high-growth fields.
'We are highly motivated to build on the momentum that we've created with Illinois' community colleges, expanding opportunities for students to not only access higher education but to thrive in rewarding careers,' said Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System, in a press release.
'Fulfilling the promise of college access and degree completion requires strong, accessible transfer pathways that connect Illinois' 48 public community colleges to our universities. This initiative will unlock opportunities that will fuel our state's workforce and economic future,' Killeen added.
Like many other states, Illinois currently offers several transfer options, but historically the community college to four-year pathway has not proven to be as successful as hoped. Nationally, 81% of students who enter community college point to a bachelor's degree as their goal; however, only 31% ultimately transfer to a four-year institution.
The timing of the pilot comes at an interesting time. Expanding the reach of the state's community colleges has been an aim of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who announced in his February state-of-the-state budget address that he supported legislation that would authorize Illinois community colleges to offer selected four-year degrees in fields that address local needs.
"By allowing our community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees for in-demand career paths, we are making it easier and more affordable for students to advance their careers while strengthening our state's economy," Pritzker said at the time.
That authorization is contained in HB 3717, which would amend the Public Community College Act and allow the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program if certain conditions are met.
But that bill has hit snags in the state legislature, primarily in the form of resistance from four-year institutions who view it as an encroachment on their territory and a threat to their efforts to maintain enrollment numbers in a highly competitive environment.
The U of I system's effort offers an alternative strategy — providing a comprehensive set of services that it hopes will help community college students transition smoothly into existing degree programs at four-year institutions rather than creating new baccalaureate degrees.
"Transferring from community college to a four-year university is one of the most powerful strategies we know for advancing multigenerational upward mobility. But we cannot allow these pathways to become bridges to nowhere for the students who make the leap to transfer — or even enroll and complete — without progressing into a career that fully capitalizes on their unique talents and abilities,' noted Josh Hoen, interim CEO of One Million Degrees, in a press statement.
