Elmhurst College, Oakton Community College sign agreement

Elmhurst College and Oakton Community College have signed two enrollment agreements that will facilitate a seamless transfer process for qualifying Oakton students to attend Elmhurst to pursue their bachelor's degree.

One agreement guarantees admission at Elmhurst for qualifying Oakton students; the other creates a dual enrollment program that will enable students to concurrently pursue an associate degree from Oakton and a bachelor's degree from Elmhurst.

"It's all about better serving students by determining their needs and figuring out how we, as administrators and faculty, can work together to provide opportunities for them to reach their full potential," said Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken.

"Today is a great day for Oakton students," Oakton President Joianne L. Smith said during a signing ceremony held last week at the Oakton campus in Des Plaines. "The agreements make it easier for students to earn their bachelor's degrees and allow them to take courses concurrently at both Elmhurst and Oakton at the Oakton tuition rate, saving them both time and money."

The guaranteed admission agreement facilitates the process for Oakton Community College students transferring to Elmhurst to complete their bachelor's degrees. Oakton students must meet all agreement requirements, which include maintaining a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 grading scale on all transferable course work from Oakton; completing an associate degree with 64 hours of transferable credit that will lead to junior status at Elmhurst; and participating in a special program while at Oakton that provides contact with Elmhurst counselors.

The Dual Enrollment program is open to students who have graduated from high school or have a high school equivalency. It requires students to participate in the program from their first year at Oakton and allows them to take at least one four-semester-hour class at Elmhurst per year, and a maximum of two classes per academic year, while concurrently attending Oakton and paying Oakton tuition rates for the Elmhurst course. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA on transferable work of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Dual-enrolled students will have access to the more than 50 undergraduate degree programs available at Elmhurst, including the nursing, education and communication sciences and disorder programs, which have additional GPA and application requirements.