Students in Illinois with high enough grades will be able to automatically qualify for admission into state universities under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.
The governor Monday signed four bills aimed at increasing college access and affordability. Among them was HB 3522, which creates a public university direct admissions program. Under the program, public universities and community colleges will offer admission directly to Illinois students based on their grade point average.
“In order to ensure that every student of every background in every corner of our state gets the education they deserve, we need to leave no stone unturned and no barrier unbroken,” Pritzker said at a Chicago bill signing. “These bills streamline the application process for college bound seniors in Illinois, enhance support for applicants, and opens up new horizons for prospective students.”
The program will begin in the 2027-28 school year. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission will gather information from students who opt in during their junior year and determine which universities they qualify for admission. Students will receive one message with all their school offers.
The following public universities are participating: the University of Illinois Springfield, Southern Illinois, Chicago State, Eastern Illinois, Governors State, Illinois State, Northeastern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Western Illinois. The law also calls for a new “access and outreach campaign” to inform students qualified for admissions to the University of Illinois Chicago and Urbana-Champaign about the opportunity to apply. Under the direct admissions program, students also will be offered admission to their local public community college.
“This new statewide direct admissions program will make a college degree more accessible for students and will motivate them to continue in their life-changing college journey by ensuring them a spot at their community college or at one of the state’s public universities,” said Ginger Ostro, Illinois Board of Higher Education executive director.
But there are skeptics of direct admissions policies who say they are not a silver bullet to increase college access and enrollment. A large research study co-authored by former University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Professor Jennifer Delaney found that, while direct admissions increased students’ application rates, it did not increase their likelihood of going to college. The researchers said the increasing cost of attending remains a huge barrier to many students and that direct admissions is not a replacement for financial aid. Students still need to separately apply for financial aid.
One of the other bills signed by Pritzker requires every high school in Illinois to designate at least one member of its staff as a financial aid point of contact for students. The other requires high schools to provide time during the school day for students to get help with or to complete financial aid forms.
“For students who know they want to go to college, the process of choosing a college, applying for admission and getting access to financial aid can be both confusing and intimidating,” said Eric Zarnikow, executive director of the student assistance commission. “We want to help students overcome barriers, and we don’t want a lack of information to be a reason that a student chooses not to go to college.”
Another bill signed by the governor amends the Dual Credit Equality Act to require Illinois high schools to work with local community colleges to ensure that the classes they offer in high schools for college credit meet state standards. The bill also “clarifies the academic credentials” required to teach dual credit courses.
The governor — who announced last week that he was running for a third term — has singled out college affordability as one of his top policy priorities. It was among the agenda items he mentioned in his second-term inaugural address in 2023.
In Illinois, state funding for higher education dropped by nearly 40% since 2000 according to the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, while public university tuition has increased 121% in the same time period.