SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci passed legislation to expand university admissions opportunities to community college transfer students who meet certain academic requirements.

"This pilot program at the University of Illinois has yielded great success,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This action will provide more students throughout Illinois with the opportunity to pursue higher education within the state.”

House Bill 3760 would require Eastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University and Western Illinois University to create a four-year admissions program that admits community college transfer students each semester, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic school year.

The new program would guarantee university admission to all applicants who have enrolled at an Illinois community college after graduating from an Illinois high school, have earned a minimum of 36 graded, transferable semester hours at the time of application to the university, have attained a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all completed transferable coursework, and have satisfied the university’s English language proficiency requirement.

House Bill 3760 builds upon two existing laws that provide automatic admissions to Illinois universities, with one designated for high school graduates and the other for community college graduates. The previous law required the University of Illinois to admit community college transfer students who meet certain requirements, and House Bill 3760 would extend that guarantee to four additional Illinois universities.

"This proposal will secure assured admission to these universities for community college transfer students in Illinois, provided that they fulfill specific academic criteria,” said Faraci. “This approach will benefit both the universities and the students as it enables students to pursue their education further while assisting universities in fulfilling their enrollment objectives, creating a win-win situation."

House Bill 3760 passed the Senate on Thursday and awaits further action by the governor.