CLC and UIC officials sign transfer admission guaranteed agreement

Students who wish to transfer from the College of Lake County to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) can now take advantage of a new guaranteed admission agreement signed by academic officials from the two institutions.

Kevin A. Browne, UIC vice provost for academic and enrollment services, and Dr. Richard Haney, CLC provost, met June 22 to complete the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) agreement at the CLC Grayslake Campus. Also representing UIC were Robert R. Dixon, registrar; and Cecil Curtwright, associate vice provost, academic and enrollment services.

"In the 2014-15 academic year, there were 198 CLC transfer students enrolled at UIC, making it one of our top five public transfer institutions," Dr. Haney said. "We are excited to increase that number through innovative partnerships like this that not only guarantee admission to our CLC students, but also provides our students with academic guidance and support from both of our institutions in order to assure a smooth transfer process."

Browne said that the relationship between UIC and CLC began several years ago, but this formal agreement will help students avoid any missteps in the transfer process. "Anything we can do to bring clarity to the process is good," he said. In the future, the two institutions will work on a reverse transfer agreement that allows credits earned at UIC to be transferred back to CLC so students can apply them toward an associate degree. Another benefit is that the tuition rate CLC students pay upon transferring to UIC will not increase under the university's Undergraduate Guaranteed Tuition Program, according to Browne.

The UIC undergraduate colleges participating include the Colleges of Architecture, Design and the Arts; Business Administration; Engineering; Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Urban Planning and Public Affairs. The agreement will be in force for three years with annual renewal to allow for improvements to ease of transfer as curriculum is updated.

Carlos Catalan, a 2016 CLC graduate, vice president of the CLC Student Government Association and Student Ambassador, attended the signing event and reflected on its importance to students.

"This agreement will assist students on their path to success by alleviating some of the pressures surrounding the transfer process. It allows students to plan out their academic path earlier than anticipated, which will produce a more seamless transfer process," Catalan said.

CLC currently has guaranteed admission agreements with American Business School, Paris, France; Arizona State University; DePaul University; Eastern Illinois University; Elmhurst College; Herzing University; North Central College; Northeastern Illinois University; Olivet Nazarene University; Trinity International University; and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering.

To learn more about CLC's guaranteed admission programs, visit www.clcillinois.edu/guaranteedadmission or call (847) 543-2090.