Illinois Introduces Guaranteed Transfer Policy
Credit: On-Track / E+ / Getty Images- The University of Illinois System Transfer Guarantee grants Illinois high school grads attending college anywhere in the country admission to any of the system’s universities.
- In addition to having attended high school in Illinois, students will need a minimum 3.0 GPA and 36 college credits. And they must meet the university’s English language proficiency requirement.
- Students must be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree. They won’t be guaranteed admission into a specific college or major.
Illinois is making a bid to bring back college students to the state.
The University of Illinois (U of I) System Transfer Guarantee will grant Illinois high school graduates, who are attending any college or university in the country, admission to any of the U of I system’s universities.
The policy takes effect in the fall 2025 semester.
“Transfer students are an important component of the student bodies at our three best-in-class universities, adding new voices and fresh perspectives,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said in a press release.
“We are bringing an even-greater focus on building a future for Illinois high school students by increasing the likelihood that they will stay here to work and live,” Killeen said.
To be guaranteed admission to U of I through the program, students must have:
- Graduated from an Illinois high school
- Earned a minimum of 36 graded, transferable credit hours at the time of application
- Earned a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all transferable coursework at the time of application
- Met the university’s English language proficiency requirement
However, these transfer students will not be guaranteed admission into a specific college or major within that university. Additionally, to qualify, students must be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree.
The university system enrolls over 94,000 students at its three main campuses: the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Illinois Springfield.
Students will need to complete the university’s transfer admission application by each campus’s deadline:
- The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will accept applications between Jan. 15 and April 5 for fall admission.
- The University of Illinois Chicago will accept applications until April 1 for fall admission.
- The University of Illinois Springfield will accept applications on a rolling basis.
“Our expanded transfer guarantee welcomes home the students who have chosen to begin their college education in another state but are looking to return to the Land of Lincoln,” Killeen said.
This academic year was the first where Illinois community college students were guaranteed admission into any of the state’s public universities as long as the students graduated from an Illinois high school, had a 3.0 GPA, met the English language proficiency requirement, and had 36 graded, transferable credit hours.