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.