Public Act 103-0159
 
HB2503 EnrolledLRB103 27470 RJT 53842 b


  
    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
    Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by 
adding Section 6-1.5  and by changing Sections 6-2 and 6-4.1 as 
follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 805/6-1.5 new)
    Sec. 6-1.5. Attending community college outside of 
resident district.
    (a) The purpose of this Section is to expand educational 
services to the greatest number of students in each community 
college district and maximize the utilization of the finances, 
facilities, equipment, and personnel of each district to 
provide educational services that might otherwise be 
impracticable for a district individually. This Section is not 
intended to limit the ability of any community college 
district to establish new units of instruction, research, or 
public service under Section 3-25.1 of this Act.
    (b) In this Section:
        "Receiving college" means the community college 
    district receiving a student from another community 
    college district. 
        "Sending college" means the community college district 
    sending a student to another community college district.
    (c) Pursuant to this Section, if a resident of a community 
college district wants to attend the community college 
maintained by the district of his or her residence, but the 
student wants to enroll in a program that is not offered by 
that community college and the community college does not have 
a contractual agreement under Section 3-40 of this Act for 
such a program, then the student, subject to Section 3-17, may 
attend any recognized public community college in any other 
district and shall pay tuition and fees at the in-district 
rate of the receiving college. If the student is seeking State 
or federal financial assistance, then the student shall apply 
for assistance at the receiving college.
    (d) The State Board shall maintain a program directory on 
the State Board's website to assist community colleges in 
determining which programs are offered at each community 
college. At a minimum, this directory shall provide a 
comparison of program titles and classification of 
instructional program codes.

Delivery methods and minor 
program differences, such as the length of a semester, online 
versus in-person instruction, competency-based instruction, 
and program credit hours, and minor course requirement 
differences do not constitute a difference in a  program for 
purposes of attending another community college under this 
Section. Programmatic differences shall be based upon 
classification of instructional program codes, the 
occupational outlook for completers, or other substantial 
programmatic differences. Determinations regarding 
programmatic differences shall be first determined by the 
sending college. The State Board shall establish a process for 
resolving disputes between community college districts 
regarding programmatic differences.
    (e) Students who want to enroll at a receiving college 
shall make an application to their sending college in 
accordance with rules and procedures established and published 
by their sending college. Community colleges shall make every 
attempt to review such requests in a timely manner so as to not 
impede the students' educational progress. Students shall 
secure from their sending college a letter designating them as 
participants in an approved program. A copy of such letter 
shall be sent to the receiving college.

A student may not 
enroll under the provisions of this Section in a program of a 
receiving college at the in-district tuition rate if the 
student's educational objectives can be met at the sending 
college.
    (f) Upon written approval from the sending college, a 
student shall register at the receiving college and shall be a 
member of the receiving college's district for the term of the 
student's enrollment. A student may choose to complete any 
required general education coursework and may take approved 
courses at the sending college or at the receiving college. 
Upon successful completion, courses taken at either the 
sending college or the receiving college shall be acceptable 
for transfer to the sending college or receiving college for 
completion of any program. The receiving college shall 
maintain admission records and transcripts and issue any 
degrees or certificates to the student upon completing the 
educational program. The receiving college shall provide 
copies of such records to the sending college at the student's 
request or as part of any program verification for the sending 
college.
    (g) The receiving college shall provide access to its 
learning resources center and other instructional resources 
for students from the sending college, equal to those provided 
for any other student at the receiving college. The receiving 
college shall also provide counseling and guidance and other 
services that facilitate the learning process.
    (h) The receiving college shall be considered the 
student's district for athletic eligibility, for any activity 
in which the student officially represents a community 
college, for the military, and for scholarships offered by the 
Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Other athletic 
eligibility requirements shall be determined by the rules of 
the receiving college's athletic conference. Students from any 
sending college are eligible at the receiving college for any 
other extracurricular activities, scholarships, or other 
recognition of excellence in the program for which they are 
attending at the receiving college.
    (i) Except for equalization grants, the receiving college 
is eligible to file claims for State grants under Section 
2-16.02 of this Act for any student from the sending college 
enrolled in courses offered at the receiving college.  The 
receiving college shall provide the sending college with the 
semester credit hours taken by each student from the sending 
college for purposes of equalization grants.  If the student 
enrolls in courses offered at the sending college, the sending 
college shall claim semester credit hours provided to the 
student in attendance at the sending college. 
 


    (110 ILCS 805/6-2)  (from Ch. 122, par. 106-2)




    Sec. 6-2. 
Any graduate of a recognized high school or 
student otherwise
qualified to attend a public community 
college and residing outside a
community college district but 
within this State may, subject to Section 3-17, attend any 
recognized public
community college in the State at the 
tuition rate of a student residing in the district. Subject to 
appropriation, the State Board shall pay the difference 
between the in-district and out-of-district tuition amounts to 
the community college district for any
semester or term of 
that academic year.

    If he or
she becomes a resident of a community college 
district, he or she shall be
classified as a resident of that 
district at the beginning of any semester or term following 
that change of residence and the State Board shall no longer 
pay the difference in tuition rates.

    If a resident of a community college district wishes to 
attend the
community college maintained by the district of his 
or her residence
but the program in which the student wishes to 
enroll is not offered by that
community college, and the 
community college maintained by the district
of his residence 
does not have a contractual agreement under Section
3-40 of 
this Act for such program, the student may attend any 
recognized
public community college in some other district, 
subject to the
provisions of Section 3-17, and have his or her 
tuition, as defined
herein, paid by the community college 
district of his or her residence
while enrolled in a program at 
that college which is not offered by his or
her home community 
college if he or she makes application to his or her
home board 
at least 30 days prior to the beginning of any semester, 
quarter
or term in accordance with rules, regulations and 
procedures established
and published by his or her home board. 
The payment of tuition by his or
her district of residence may 
not exceed the per Per capita cost shall of the
community 
college attended for the previous year, less certain

deductions, to be computed by adding all of the non-capital 
expenditures for the previous year, including interest, to the 
depreciation on the capital outlay expenditures paid from 
sources other than State and federal funds, less any payments 
toward non-capital expenditures received from State and 
federal sources for the previous year (except for grants 
through the State Board under Section 2-16.02 of this Act), 
and dividing that amount by the number of full-time equivalent 
students for that fiscal year as defined under this Section. 
This average per student computation shall be converted to a 
semester hour base and further reduced by the combined rate of 
State grants, other than equalization grants for the current 
year as provided  under Section 2-16.02 of this Act, and any 
rate of tuition and fees assessed for all students for the 
current year as authorized under Section 6-4 of this Act.

    Payment shall be made hereunder to the community college 
district of
attendance immediately upon receipt, by the 
district liable for the
payment, of a statement from that 
community college district of the
amount due it. Before 
sending such a statement requesting payment,
however, the 
community college district of attendance shall make all

calculations and deductions required under this Section so 
that the
amount requested for payment is the exact amount 
required under this
Section to be paid by the district liable 
for payment.

    If the moneys in the educational fund are insufficient to 
meet such payments, the district liable for
such payments may 
issue tax anticipation warrants as provided in Section

3-20.10.

    A full-time equivalent student for a semester or term is

defined as a student doing 15 semester hours of work per 
semester or the equivalent thereof, and the
number of 
full-time equivalent students enrolled per term shall be

determined by dividing by 15 the total number of semester 
hours for which State Board grants are received, or the

equivalent thereof, carried by all students of the college 
through the
mid-term of each semester or term. The number of 
full-time
equivalent students for a fiscal year shall be 
computed by adding the total
number of semester hours of work 
or the equivalent thereof
carried by all students of the 
college through the mid-term of each
semester or term during 
that fiscal year and dividing that sum by
30 semester hours. 
Tuition of students
carrying more or less than 15 semester 
hours of work per semester or the equivalent thereof shall be

computed in the proportion which the number of hours so 
carried bears to 15
semester hours or the equivalent thereof.

    If the United States Government, the State of Illinois, or 
any agency
pays tuition for any community college student, 
neither the district of
residence of the student nor the 
student may be required to pay that
tuition or such part 
thereof as is otherwise paid. No part of the
State's financial 
responsibility provided for in Section 2-16
may be transferred 
to a student's district of residence under this Section.

(Source: P.A. 100-884, eff. 1-1-19.)

 


    (110 ILCS 805/6-4.1)  (from Ch. 122, par. 106-4.1)




    Sec. 6-4.1. 
If a resident of Illinois qualifies for 
admission to a public
community college under Section 3-17 but 
does not qualify for financial
support under Section 6-1.5 or 
6-2, that person he may be enrolled in the college upon payment

of the difference between the per capita cost as defined in 
Section 6-2
less any payments toward noncapital expenditures 
received from State and
federal sources for the previous year 
except grants through the State Board
as authorized in Section 
2-16 or 2-16.02, as the case may be, converted
to a semester 
hour
base, and the combined rate of State grants other than 
equalization grants
for the current year as authorized in 
Section 2-16.02,
notwithstanding tuition
limits of Section 
6-4. Subject to Section 3-17, a public community college
may 
accept out-of-state students upon payment of the per capita 
cost as
defined in Section 6-2. Notwithstanding the provisions 
of this Section, the
out-of-district or out-of-state tuition, 
whichever is applicable, may be
waived for a student who is 
employed for at least 35 hours per week by
an entity located
in 
the district or is enrolled in a course that is being provided

under terms of a contract for services between the employing 
entity and the college.

(Source: P.A. 100-884, eff. 1-1-19.)