Public Act 096-0203
 		





SB0263 Enrolled
LRB096 05785 NHT 15860 b






    AN ACT concerning education.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:



 
    Section 5. The University of Illinois Act is amended  by 
changing Section 8 as follows:
 



    (110 ILCS 305/8)  (from Ch. 144, par. 29)



    Sec. 8. Admissions. 

    (a) (Blank). No student shall be admitted to instruction in 
any of
the departments of the University who shall not have 
attained to the age of
fifteen (15) years, and who shall not 
previously undergo a satisfactory
examination in each of the 
branches ordinarily taught in the common schools
of the state.

    (b) In addition, commencing in the fall of 1993, no new 
student shall
then or thereafter be admitted to instruction in 
any of the departments or
colleges of the University unless 
such student also has satisfactorily
completed:


        (1) at least 15 units of high school coursework from 
    the following
5 categories:


            (A) 4 years of English (emphasizing written and 
        oral communications
and literature), of which up to 2 
        years may be collegiate level instruction;


            (B) 3 years of social studies (emphasizing history 
        and government);


            (C) 3 years of mathematics (introductory through 
        advanced algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, or 
        fundamentals of computer programming);


            (D) 3 years of science (laboratory sciences); and


            (E) 2 years of electives in foreign language, 
        music, vocational
education or art;


        (2) except that institutions may admit individual 
    applicants if the
institution determines through 
    assessment or through evaluation based on
learning 
    outcomes of the coursework taken, including vocational 
    education
courses and courses taken in a charter school 
    established under Article 27A
of the School Code, that the 
    applicant demonstrates knowledge and skills
substantially

    equivalent to the knowledge and skills expected to be 
    acquired in the high
school courses required for admission.  
    The Board of Trustees of the
University of Illinois shall 
    not discriminate in the University's admissions
process 
    against an applicant for admission because of the 
    applicant's
enrollment
 in a charter school established 
    under Article 27A of the School Code.
Institutions
may also 
    admit 1)
applicants who did not have an opportunity to 
    complete the minimum college
preparatory curriculum in 
    high school, and 2) educationally disadvantaged
applicants 
    who are admitted to the formal organized special assistance

    programs that are tailored to the needs of such students, 
    providing that in
either case, the institution 
    incorporates in the applicant's baccalaureate
curriculum 
    courses or other academic activities that compensate for 
    course
deficiencies; and


        (3) except that up to 3 of the 15 units of coursework 
    required by
paragraph (1) of this subsection may be 
    distributed by deducting no more
than one unit each from 
    the categories of social studies, mathematics,
sciences 
    and electives and completing those 3 units in any of the 5

    categories of coursework described in paragraph (1).

    (c) When allocating funds, local boards of education shall 
recognize
their obligation to their students to offer the 
coursework required by
subsection (b).

    (d) A student who has graduated from high school and has 
scored within the
University's accepted range on the ACT or SAT 
shall not be required to take the
high
school level General 
Educational Development (GED) Test as a prerequisite to

admission.

(Source: P.A. 91-374, eff. 7-30-99.)

 

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