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

“We have seen tremendous success with this pilot program at the University of Illinois,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This action will give more students across our state the chance to stay in Illinois for higher education.”

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 measure will ensure that Illinois community college transfer students who meet certain academic requirements will have guaranteed admission to these universities,” said Faraci. “It’s a win-win situation for both the students and the universities as it provides opportunities for students to continue their education while also helping the universities to fill their enrollment goals."

House Bill 3760 passed the Senate Higher Education Committee on Tuesday and awaits further action before the full Senate.