SB3720eng 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB3720 Engrossed LRB104 19768 LNS 33218 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act is amended by changing Section 23 as follows:

(110 ILCS 150/23)

Sec. 23. Reverse transfer of credits.

(a) In this Section, "reverse transfer of credit" means the transfer of earned academic credit from a State university to a community college for the purpose of obtaining an associate degree at the community college.

(b) The Beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall develop a policy to foster the reverse transfer of credit for any student who has accumulated at least 15 hours of academic credit at a community college and a sufficient number of hours of academic credit at a State university in the prescribed courses necessary to meet a community college's requirements to be awarded an associate degree.

(b-5) Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, each State university shall automatically provide, to any transfer student who is accepted to the State university with at least 30 hours of academic credit at a community college, notice of the option for the reverse transfer of credit after the transfer student has earned a combined total of 60 hours of academic credit at the community college and the State university. The notice shall include the State university's opt-in process for reverse transfer that provides for the sharing of the student's transcript information between the community college and State university.

(c) A student wishing to reverse transfer earned academic credit under this Section to obtain an associate degree shall agree to the exchange of transcript information between each community college and State university that he or she has attended. The community college shall provide notice to the student with instructions on application for conferral of an associate degree. The A student must submit the an application and his or her transcripts to a community college in order to be considered for conferral of an associate degree. In awarding an associate degree, the community college shall evaluate the applicant's coursework completed, along with the transfer credit earned, and shall determine whether the associate degree requirements have been met. No later than 30 business days after receiving the an application, the a community college shall notify the an applicant if he or she qualifies for an associate degree based on the total earned credits.

(d) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact's Multi-State Collaborative on Military Credit shall adopt a policy regarding the award of academic credit for military training applicable to meeting a community college's requirements for awarding an associate degree.

(d-5) A community college or State university may not charge an application, transfer evaluation, or graduation fee or any other fee associated with conferral of an associate degree through reverse transfer under this Section.

(d-10) A community college shall include in its student information system each student awarded an associate degree through reverse transfer under this Section.

(e) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall adopt rules to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 100-824, eff. 8-13-18.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.