Illinois General Assembly - EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION

(110 ILCS 117/1)

Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Public University Direct Admission Program Act.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)

(110 ILCS 117/5)

Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the following:

(1) Illinois has a strong system of public higher

education, including public universities and community colleges across the State.

(2) The Illinois economy thrives when Illinois

students choose to pursue postsecondary education at Illinois institutions of higher education.

(3) According to the National Bureau of Economic

Research, two-thirds of graduates stay and work in the state in which they matriculated.

(4) Students who have been historically underserved,

such as students who are the first in their families to go to college, students who come from low-income families or communities, students of color, and students from rural communities, among others, often face the greatest barriers to accessing higher education, in part because of a lack of information.

(5) Every eligible high school senior in Illinois

should receive an offer to an Illinois institution of higher education, including public universities and community colleges.

(6) Every public community college student seeking a

transfer pathway who meets the requirements should receive an offer to a public university in Illinois.

(7) Illinois can and should develop the tools and

technology and partner with vendors if appropriate to dramatically simplify the public university and community college application and admission process for Illinois students.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)

(110 ILCS 117/10)

Sec. 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Direct admissions information" means a student's name, home address, birth date, telephone number, email address, cumulative grade point average, and high school.

"Public university" means the University of Illinois at Springfield, Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, or any other public university established or authorized by the General Assembly after the effective date of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)

(110 ILCS 117/15)

Sec. 15. Direct admission program.

(a) The Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the State Board of Education, shall establish and administer a direct admission program. Consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Illinois School Student Records Act, and the School Code, the direct admission program shall automatically offer general admission into a public university or community college to qualified high school seniors in this State and to public community college students in this State who qualify to transfer to a public university.

(b) Each public university in the direct admission program shall identify and provide its grade point average standards for general admission for first time admission and for transfer students to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission by March 1 of each year. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, in collaboration with the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board, may determine which students meet the standards for general admission for each public university in the direct admission program, and that information shall be made available to the Board of Higher Education as needed for the administration of the program. The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, or a statewide student application portal, as provided in subsections (g) and (h), shall notify the student and each public university for which the student qualifies. Each public university and community college may also notify qualified students.

(c) Beginning July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall use data collected from school districts pursuant to Section 10-20.5a and paragraph 16 of Section 34-18 of the School Code for purposes of subsection (b) to determine which students meet the standards for general admission and may provide the data to the Board of Higher Education.

(d) As all public community colleges in this State are open-access institutions, high school student direct admissions information shall be used to identify a student's local public community college. All correspondence to a student, pursuant to subsection (b), indicating the public universities that offer the student direct admission shall also indicate the student's acceptance to the community college. The public community college may also notify students within its district directly.

(e) Under the direct admission program, a public community college shall offer admission to all students who are residents of the community college district. Under the direct admission program, a public university shall offer general admission to any high school senior in this State who meets the public university's standards for admission, as identified under subsection (b), and to any public community college transfer student transferring to a public university who meets all of the following requirements:

(1) Is enrolled at a public community college in this

State.

(2) Has earned a minimum of 30 graded, transferable

semester hours.

(3) Meets the minimum grade point average requirement

as set by the public university and as reported to Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

(f) By July 1 of each year, community college districts shall provide, on an equal basis and consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, for any student who has met the 30-hour transferable credit hour requirement set forth in paragraph (2) of subsection (e), access to community college student direct admissions information to the Illinois Community College Board. The Illinois Community College Board shall transmit this information to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of the direct admission program. Prior to providing the student's direct admissions information and transferable credit hours, each community college district shall receive the written or electronic consent of the student if the student is 18 years of age or older or the student's parent of guardian if the student is younger than 18 years of age. Community college students are encouraged to consult the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum course list and other resources at the State and university level to determine course transferability for purposes of paragraph (2) of subsection (e). Community college students who have not completed a degree prior to transfer shall be notified by the public university in which they are enrolled to consult the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act to determine if they are eligible for reverse transfer of credits for the purpose of obtaining an associate degree.

(g) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission may gather data and develop the technology to automatically notify high school seniors in this State and public community college transfer students of the direct admission program for the public universities for which those students qualify, based on the standards submitted under subsection (b) or, in the case of public community colleges, based on the community college district where those students reside.

(h) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission may use the services of a statewide student application portal and aggregator to provide the automatic notification in subsection (g). The notification shall include the student's local public community college, consistent with the requirements in subsection (d).

(i) The direct admission program shall provide admitted high school seniors in this State and public community college transfer students with the website address for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to find information regarding State grant programs, support for financial aid application completion, scholarship searches, and other financial aid-related information and shall encourage students to determine their eligibility for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or, if applicable, an application for State financial aid.

(j) A public university or community college may verify applicant information, including transcripts, Illinois residency, and high school graduation in determining eligibility for enrollment. A public university or community college may revoke admission if an applicant does not meet the public university's or community college's direct admission criteria as specified in this Act before enrolling at the public university or community college.

(k) Students who apply to a public university or community college pursuant to this Act must not be required to pay an application fee by any public university or community college as part of the direct admission program.

(l) If informed consent to the redisclosure of a student's direct admissions information is provided pursuant to subsection (b-5) of Section 10-20.5a or subparagraph (b-5) of paragraph 16 of Section 34-18 of the School Code, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission may, as needed for the administration of the direct admission program, redisclose the student's direct admissions information to the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, public universities for which the student qualifies under the direct admission program, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago if the student qualifies under Section 20, the community college district where the student resides, and, if applicable, a third party that operates a statewide student application portal. Direct admissions information may not be redisclosed to other entities or individuals unless informed consent to the redisclosure is provided pursuant to subsection (b-5) of Section 10-20.5a or subparagraph (b-5) of paragraph 16 of Section 34-18 of the School Code.

(m) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the Illinois Community College Board may adopt joint rules to develop procedures for the implementation of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)

(110 ILCS 117/20)

Sec. 20. Access and outreach campaign. The Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the State Board of Education, shall develop, in consultation with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a process to inform qualifying State high school seniors about the opportunity to apply to the University of Illinois at Chicago or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Qualifying students shall be identified and encouraged to apply in the following manner:

(1) The University of Illinois at Chicago and the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall determine the criteria by which students shall be identified for the access and outreach campaign. The University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall provide the qualifying criteria to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, as long as the qualifying criteria is based on data available to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, by February 1 each year.

(2) The University of Illinois at Chicago and the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall provide the Illinois Student Assistance Commission with the content of the communication to be shared with students describing how to request information on how to apply. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission may use the same portal or mechanisms for this communication as used for offers of direct admission under Section 15.

(3) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, in

collaboration with the Board of Higher Education and the State Board of Education as needed for the administration of this Section, shall provide the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the direct admissions information of the students who meet the qualifying criteria defined by the University of Illinois at Chicago or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

(4) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois

Student Assistance Commission may adopt any rules necessary to administer this Section.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)

(110 ILCS 117/25)

Sec. 25. Direct admission program and access and outreach campaign report.

(a)In establishing the direct admission program, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board, shall specifically evaluate the impact on enrollment of low-income students, students of color, first generation students, students from populations underserved in higher education, and students from rural areas of this State.

(b) The Board of Higher Education shall submit a report on the direct admission program and the access and outreach campaign to the Governor and General Assembly by August 1, 2029 and each August 1 thereafter. The report shall include, but is not limited to, information related to implementation of the direct admission program, the demographic, as collected and available, and geographic data of students offered direct admission and the public university or community college to which direct admission was offered, the demographic, as collected and available, and geographic data of students who qualified under Section 20, those who applied, and those who were offered admission, the demographic, as collected and available, and geographic data of high school seniors and public community college transfer students who accepted direct admission and enrolled in the public university or public community college that offered that direct admission, changes in admissions and enrollment over time of high school seniors and public community college transfer students through the direct admission program, and recommendations to improve the direct admission program. The Board of Higher Education shall collaborate with the Illinois Community College Board, the State Board of Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and public universities to collect data necessary to fulfill the reporting requirements of this Section.

(c) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the Illinois Community College Board, may adopt any rules necessary to administer this Section.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)

(110 ILCS 117/30)

Sec. 30. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25; text omitted.)

(110 ILCS 117/99)

Sec. 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

(Source: P.A. 104-15, eff. 6-30-25.)