SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci is announcing a new state program that will help all Illinois college students prepare for graduate school and in-demand careers.

“It is unfortunate to see gifted students’ dreams and career choices limited simply because they can’t afford the classes that would prepare them for graduate school entrance exams or for professional license exams,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “I am pleased to see Illinois making this $10 million investment to help our best and brightest succeed regardless of their ability to pay for graduate and professional prep classes.”

The Prepare for Illinois' Future Program is the result of a commitment by the State of Illinois, Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and leading global education company Kaplan to provide free test preparation courses to students enrolled in Illinois’ public universities as well as five community colleges. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has already onboarded the program.

This historic workforce initiative enables students to access Kaplan’s best-in-class preparation for professional licensing exams, graduate-level admissions exams, and credential exams at no cost to them. Available courses include exam prep for the GRE®, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, NCLEX-RN, Illinois State bar exam, real estate and securities exams and more. Students will also have access to a suite of certificate courses, including project management and cybersecurity, as well as professional and academic skills development courses from Kaplan.

“By eliminating this initial affordability barrier, we are making Illinois schools even more competitive with schools across the country,” Faraci said. “Hopefully, this will also encourage students to stay and pursue their careers right here in Illinois, benefiting our state.”

The program aims to boost in-state enrollment at public universities, create career pathways for students from underserved urban and rural communities and address the state’s critical shortages for essential professions—ultimately helping to reduce shortages in the Illinois workforce, including projected deficits of more than 14,000 nurses and more than 6,000 doctors by 2030.

In addition to offering the program to students at all 12 Illinois public 4-year universities, the program is being piloted at five community colleges chosen to reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of the state, including Joliet Junior College, Carl Sandburg College, Southwestern Illinois College, Malcolm X College and Morton College. Kaplan has already begun working with these community colleges and the state’s public universities to launch the program so students can access these courses.