SB4034 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 20528 LNS 34002 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB4034

Introduced 2/6/2026, by Sen. Michael W. Halpin

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

110 ILCS 805/3-42.6 new

Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the board of trustees of a community college district to establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if specified conditions are met. Requires the board of trustees to demonstrate that the community college district has the expertise, the resources, and sufficient student demand to offer a baccalaureate degree. Sets forth the application requirements. Prohibits a community college district from using semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree program for certain grants. Sets forth limitations on community college districts for establishing baccalaureate programs. Requires a community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program to submit an annual report to the Illinois Community College Board. Requires the Illinois Community College Board and the Board of Higher Education to conduct a statewide evaluation of all baccalaureate degree programs established under the amendatory Act and report the results of the evaluation on or before 5 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act, in addition to being made publicly available online. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 1. Findings. The General Assembly finds the following:

(1) The State's public and private universities and community colleges have a longstanding tradition of partnership with respect to the creation of seamless transfer pathways, articulation agreements, and joint programming that expand educational opportunities for students.

(2) The State's public and private universities and community colleges play a vital role in advancing this State's higher education mission by delivering high-quality academic programs, fostering innovation, and supporting workforce development.

(3) The State's public and private universities and community colleges serve a diverse student body, including first generation students, low-income students, racial and ethnic minorities, and working adults, helping them achieve their academic and economic goals.

(4) The State benefits from a cohesive and interconnected higher education ecosystem in which public universities, private higher education institutions, and community colleges work collaboratively to meet the diverse needs of learners and the regional economies they serve.

(5) Community colleges can play a roll in filling the gaps in this State's higher education system by granting baccalaureate degrees to meet the growing demand for a skilled workforce, thereby increasing access and reducing costs for students.

(6) Baccalaureate degree programs offered pursuant to this Act do not alter the existing role and mission of community colleges.

(7) Nothing in this Act reduces this State's dedication to improving associate-to-baccalaureate program transfer pathways for this State's students, based on robust and longstanding partnerships with public and private universities.

Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by adding Section 3-42.6 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/3-42.6 new)

Sec. 3-42.6. Baccalaureate degree program.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Accessibility" includes, but is not limited to, time and distance to a program at a university or off-site location during the time the program is offered, availability of public transportation, and proximity to a workforce partner.

"Applied baccalaureate" means a baccalaureate degree that is based on a curriculum that incorporates both theoretical and applied knowledge and skills in a specific vocational or technical field, which shall meet the following criteria:

(1) is titled as a Bachelor of Applied Science;

(2) is designed for workforce entry or career advancement in technical or professional fields; and

(3) is built upon applied associate degrees or closely aligned curricula.

"CCB Region" means the following community college baccalaureate regions:

(1) CCB Region 1: The College of Lake County, Harper College, Oakton College, Triton College, and Morton College.

(2) CCB Region 2: Elgin Community College, Kishwaukee College, Waubonsee Community College, McHenry County College, Rock Valley College, and the College of DuPage.

(3) CCB Region 3: Black Hawk College, Carl Sandburg College, Highland Community College, John Wood Community College, Sauk Valley Community College, and Spoon River College.

(4) CCB Region 4: Heartland Community College, Illinois Central College, Illinois Valley Community College, Lincoln Land Community College, and Richland Community College.

(5) CCB Region 5: Joliet Junior College, Prairie State College, South Suburban College, Moraine Valley Community College, and Kankakee Community College.

(6) CCB Region 6: Parkland College, Danville Area Community College, Lake Land College, and Illinois Eastern Community College.

(7) CCB Region 7: Rend Lake College, John A. Logan College, Southeastern Illinois College, and Shawnee Community College.

(8) CCB Region 8: Lewis and Clark Community College, Southwestern Illinois College, and Kaskaskia College.

(9) CCB Region 9: The City Colleges of Chicago.

"Course scheduling flexibility" includes, but is not limited to, the times and days of the week courses are offered and the ability of a university or partnership to use shared instructional spaces and scheduling models developed in partnership with university centers located on community college campuses.

"Mode of delivery" includes, but is not limited to, online courses, hybrid courses, and off-site courses.

"Workforce need" includes, but is not limited to, the anticipated annual earnings of degree holders and the current number of related employment vacancies, evidence of sustained need that accounts for local or regional education and training providers, and employer support within a community college district.

(b) The board of trustees of a community college district may establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if all the following conditions are met:

(1) The community college district meets all of the requirements as set forth in subsection (c) as demonstrated through an application to offer a baccalaureate degree that has been submitted and approved by the State Board and the Board of Higher Education. The State Board and the Board of Higher Education shall collaborate on the development of an application process that is no less restrictive than program approval of new bachelor's degree programs at public and private universities in this State.

(2) The community college district has identified, in a feasibility study, unmet workforce needs, including the number of potential students and workers necessary to meet those needs, in the region served by the community college in the subject area of the baccalaureate degree program to be offered and student interest in the new degree. The board of trustees shall publish the documentation on the community college district's website, make the documentation publicly available, and present the documentation to the State Board.

(3) The community college shall hold an applicable accreditation and be approved to offer baccalaureate degrees by the Higher Learning Commission.

(4) The community college district shall demonstrate how the baccalaureate degree program will demonstrate improved equity in student access, enrollment, and completion.

(5) Tuition and fees per credit hour for the third and fourth years of a 4-year baccalaureate program may not exceed 150% of the tuition and fees per credit hour of related lower-division course tuition and fees, and the tuition charged a student who is a State resident shall not exceed the amount that the student was charged at the time he or she first entered the upper division program.

(6) The community college district provides a notice of intent to consider offering a baccalaureate degree to the State Board. The State Board shall provide the notice of intent to the Board of Higher Education, all public universities, and the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities. The State Board shall also publish the notice on the State Board's website.

(7) At least 60 days before submission of an application, the board of trustees shall publish a feasibility study as set forth in paragraph (2) and notify the State Board. The State Board shall provide notice to the Board of Higher Education, all public universities, and the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities.

(8) After publication of the feasibility study, the community college district shall enter into a good faith collaboration process with interested universities. The discussions during the good faith collaboration process may include the university's ability to serve the identified population to meet workforce need, alternative pathways to meet student need, the ability of the university to develop a new or expand a current program to meet the unmet workforce need or student need in a timely manner, or the creation of a new partnership. If, at the end of 60 days, the community college and a university cannot agree to pursue or establish, in writing, a new partnership agreement or no interest has been expressed in writing, a community college district may submit its application. This good faith collaboration process shall be documented by the community college district in its application. Nothing in this paragraph (8) requires a community college to enter into a partnership agreement with a university.

(9) After the submission of an application, the State Board shall post a reconsideration period of at least 30 days for universities to submit their documentation of communication with the community college during the good faith collaboration period, as well as any evidence that a new community college baccalaureate program will be duplicative, as set forth in paragraph (3) of subsection (c). The State Board and the Board of Higher Education shall consider this documentation in their application review process. Based on information submitted by a university, the State Board and the Board of Higher Education may jointly or individually request that an applicant continue working toward some form of collaboration before proceeding in the application process. Nothing in this paragraph (9) requires a community college to enter into a partnership agreement or expand an existing partnership agreement with a university.

(c) The board of trustees shall demonstrate that the community college district has the expertise, the resources, and sufficient student demand to offer a baccalaureate degree. An application for approval to the State Board shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The community college district shall describe the employment goals for those individuals that will complete the baccalaureate program, including the types of licenses, jobs, and career paths for which the program will train graduates.

(2) The community college district shall describe how the proposed baccalaureate degree program addresses an unmet workforce need as specified in paragraph (2) of subsection (b).

(3) The State Board and the Board of Higher Education shall evaluate whether a proposed program is duplicative based upon the following factors:

(A) A potential degree program shall be considered duplicative if any of the following conditions are met:

(i) The proposed degree program shares the same 4-digit Classification of Instruction Program (CIP) code as a degree program at a university or community college within the community college's district or within the following proximity:

(I) For the City Colleges of Chicago, the proposed site at which the new degree program will be offered is within a 20-mile radius of a university site or community college site outside of the City Colleges of Chicago.

(II) For all other community college districts, the site at which the new degree program will be offered is within a 40-mile radius of a university site or community college site outside of the community college district.

(ii) The proposed degree program shares the same 4-digit CIP code as an existing partnership between the community college and a university.

(B) A proposed baccalaureate degree program determined to be duplicative based upon the factors in this paragraph (3) may proceed for consideration by the State Board and the Board of Higher Education if it addresses unmet workforce need and student demand, as demonstrated in the feasibility study, after consideration of the following factors in its evaluation of the proposed program:

(i) The estimated average out-of-pocket costs for students for net tuition and fees, including any scholarships, tuition discounts, or financial assistance, including Monetary Award Program and Pell grants, available to students in the proposed baccalaureate degree program, when compared to the same baccalaureate degree program offered by a university, a partnership agreement, or another community college.

(ii) Available program capacity sufficient to meet unmet workforce need and student demand, as well as the ability of a university to develop a new program or expand a current program to meet the unmet workforce need or student demand in a timely manner as outlined in the university's reconsideration documentation.

(iii) Course scheduling flexibility and the university's ability and willingness to offer course scheduling options that meet students' needs.

(iv) The mode of delivery of the program and how this mode is able to meet students' needs.

(v) The accessibility of the proposed baccalaureate degree program when compared to a current degree program or partnership agreement at a university or community college campus as it pertains to students' needs.

(vi) Evaluation of the impact on existing programs at community colleges and universities, including a measurement of current transfer rates to other community colleges and universities and access for current programs to required learning experiences, such as clinical placements.

(C) A proposed applied baccalaureate is not considered duplicative if it does not share the same 6-digit CIP code with a university as outlined in this paragraph (3).

(D) The State Board and the Board of Higher Education shall use information gathered from the application, documentation of good faith collaboration, and reconsideration comments submitted by universities to determine whether there is a significant need to justify duplication. The State Board and the Board of Higher Education may request additional information from a university or a community college to further examine duplication as a part of their review process.

(4) The community college district shall provide evidence that it has budgeted for financial support for the program in a cost-effective manner. This shall include, but not be limited to, faculty costs, administrator costs, other personnel costs, equipment costs, library costs, and other facilities and instructional costs as directed by the State Board. The community college district shall also demonstrate that it has the infrastructure to support the program.

(5) The community college district shall provide information demonstrating how student demand supports the establishment of the baccalaureate program. The community college district shall also describe the target population of the proposed program.

(6) The community college district shall provide a plan for attracting, recruiting, retaining, and completing a diverse group of students.

(7) The community college district shall describe how it has developed quality curricula that aligns with federal, State, and local requirements, is responsive to local workforce needs, and will prepare graduates with the appropriate level of skill to meet their educational and employment goals.

(8) The community college district shall document the availability of faculty for teaching the program, including the number of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in the program, and a description of the faculty's qualifications, including the highest degree earned, teaching experience, professional experience, and licenses held. The community college district shall also indicate anticipated market salaries for each faculty position and how faculty are to be evaluated.

(9) The community college district shall demonstrate that the baccalaureate degree program is built on existing associate degree programs and will result in the earning of an associate degree after approximately 60 credit hours as students matriculate toward baccalaureate degrees, preparing graduates for professional and technical employment and the opportunity to matriculate to graduate degree programs, if applicable.

(d) A community college district is prohibited from using semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree program for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02. A baccalaureate degree program at a community college does not qualify the community college or the students in the program for State funding or assistance otherwise designated for universities or university students.

(e) Excluding the City Colleges of Chicago, no community college district may establish more than one community college baccalaureate program within 3 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly. Three years after of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, a community college district, other than the City Colleges of Chicago, may establish no more than one additional baccalaureate program for a total of 2 programs over the period, subject to the regional limitations in this subsection (e).

Excluding the City Colleges of Chicago, each CCB Region may establish no more than one baccalaureate degree in early childhood education, one baccalaureate degree in cybersecurity, and one baccalaureate degree in nursing within 3 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly. Three years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, each CCB Region, other than the City Colleges of Chicago, may establish no more than one additional baccalaureate degree in early childhood education, one additional baccalaureate degree in cybersecurity, and one additional baccalaureate degree in nursing.

Excluding the City of Colleges of Chicago, each CCB Region is limited to the following number of community college baccalaureate programs:

(1) CCB Region 1, 6 community college baccalaureate programs.

(2) CCB Region 2, 7 community college baccalaureate programs.

(3) CCB Region 3, 7 community college baccalaureate programs.

(4) CCB Region 4, 6 community college baccalaureate programs.

(5) CCB Region 5, 6 community college baccalaureate programs.

(6) CCB Region 6, 5 community college baccalaureate programs.

(7) CCB Region 7, 5 community college baccalaureate programs.

(8) CCB Region 8, 4 community college baccalaureate programs.

The City Colleges of Chicago may establish no more than 3 baccalaureate degree programs within 3 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly. Three years after of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the City Colleges of Chicago may establish no more than 2 additional baccalaureate degree programs, for a total of 5 baccalaureate degree programs.

The City Colleges of Chicago may establish no more than one baccalaureate degree in early childhood education, one baccalaureate degree in cybersecurity, and one baccalaureate degree in nursing within 3 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly. Three years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the City Colleges of Chicago may offer one additional baccalaureate degree in early childhood education, for a total of 2 early childhood education baccalaureate degrees. However, the City Colleges of Chicago may not establish an early childhood education baccalaureate degree program at Kennedy-King College or Olive-Harvey College.

Applied baccalaureate programs that do not meet the duplicative criteria outlined in paragraph (3) of subsection (c) are not subject to the limitations in this subsection (e).

A community college district may not offer a baccalaureate degree whose modality is delivered primarily online.

The General Assembly may not modify the limitations on community college baccalaureate degree programs that may be approved by the State Board and Board of Higher Education before the completion of the evaluation set forth in subsection (g).

(f) A community college district that offers a baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to the State Board, which shall include all of the following:

(1) The total number of students pursuing a bachelor's degree in the community college district pursuant to this Section.

(2) The total number of bachelor's degrees completed in the community college district.

(3) Workforce data showing demand for the baccalaureate degree programs offered in the community college district.

(4) The average cost of tuition per credit hour for the bachelor's degrees offered in the community college district.

(5) If applicable, the comparable passage rates for statewide and national licensure exams compared to the State average.

(g) The State Board and the Board of Higher Education, in conjunction with a third-party evaluator, shall conduct a statewide evaluation of all baccalaureate degree programs established under this Section. The results of the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, on or before 5 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly to all of the following, in addition to being made publicly available online:

(1) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(2) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(3) The President of the Senate.

(4) The Minority Leader of the Senate.

(5) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget.

The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(A) All baccalaureate degree programs implemented.

(B) Data related to applicants, admissions, enrollment, mode of delivery, demographic characteristics of students, and degree recipients.

(C) The extent to which each baccalaureate degree program established under this Section fulfills identified workforce demands that require 4-year baccalaureate degrees.

(D) Information on the pace of employment of students and the subsequent job placement of graduates.

(E) The total cost broken down by major expenditure of each baccalaureate degree program and the funding sources used to finance each program.

(F) For each baccalaureate degree program, the costs to students, the amount of financial aid offered, and the student debt levels of graduates.

(G) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for each new baccalaureate degree program established under this Section.

(H) The extent to which a baccalaureate degree program established under this Section is in compliance with the requirements of this Section.

(I) The extent to which the status of any partnership agreements previously or presently maintained with other State institutions of higher learning, including enrollments and reasons for the dissolution of such agreements if they have been dissolved due to the creation of a new baccalaureate degree program.

(J) The extent to which the implementation of community college baccalaureate degrees has had an impact on universities.

A community college district shall submit the information necessary to conduct the evaluation required under this subsection (g), as determined by the evaluators, to the State Board and the Board of Higher Education.

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