 Sculptor Lorado Taft’s bronze Alma Mater statue on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune)
The pilot will begin by serving 240 students from select community colleges. Students will be provided with academic and career support through their transfer to University of Illinois campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The first cohort of students will begin in spring 2026, and the second will begin in spring 2027. The University System is working to select participating community colleges. Researchers have found that transferring from community colleges to four-year universities is one of the “most powerful tools” to improve opportunities, especially for first-generation and low-income students. Josh Hoen, interim CEO of One Million Degrees, said in a news release, “we cannot allow these pathways to become bridges to nowhere” for students taking the risk to transfer. “This is about ensuring that when students bet big on themselves by pursuing a college degree, they see a powerful labor market return that will dramatically increase their career and earning potential,” Hoen said. To ensure a smooth transition into four-year institutions, One Million Degrees will provide students with support, including academic coaching, financial assistance and career services. The U. of I. system will assess the pilot over the next four years and may consider expanding it beyond the initial participating community colleges to help more students, according to the news release. The above news article is reprinted from the Chicago Tribune at:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/02/university-of-illinois-community-college/ Comments are closed.
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