110 ILCS 152/ Illinois Articulation Initiative Act.

(110 ILCS 152/1)

Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Illinois Articulation Initiative Act.

(Source: P.A. 99-636, eff. 1-1-17.)

(110 ILCS 152/5)

Sec. 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds and declares that in January of 1993, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, and transfer coordinators from Illinois colleges and universities jointly launched the Illinois Articulation Initiative to ease the transfer of students among Illinois public and independent associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. The General Assembly finds and declares that the Illinois Articulation Initiative was driven by the following foundational ideas:

(1) that associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions are equal partners in educating college freshmen and sophomores;

(2) that faculties should take primary responsibility for developing and maintaining program and course articulation; and

(3) that institutions are expected to work together to facilitate transfer for lower-division baccalaureate programs.

The General Assembly finds and declares that students have benefited by receiving the General Education Core Curriculum and transferring across institutions of higher education.

(Source: P.A. 99-636, eff. 1-1-17.)

(110 ILCS 152/10)

Sec. 10. Definition of public institution. In this Act, "public institution" means a public university or public community college in this State.

(Source: P.A. 99-636, eff. 1-1-17.)

(110 ILCS 152/15)

Sec. 15. Participation. All public institutions shall participate in the Illinois Articulation Initiative through submission and review of their courses for statewide transfer. All public institutions shall maintain a complete Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum package, and all public institutions shall submit and maintain up to 4 core courses in each of the Illinois Articulation Initiative majors, provided the public institution has equivalent majors and courses. All public institutions shall provide faculty, as appointed by the Board of Higher Education for public universities and the Illinois Community College Board for public community colleges, to serve on panels in the review of courses.

If, in a given academic year, a public institution does not have an equivalent major, lower-division courses, or both that align with the major panel's descriptors and course approval criteria, then the public institution shall be considered to be compliant with this Section for that academic year, as determined by the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board, in coordination with the director of the Illinois Articulation Initiative.

(Source: P.A. 103-469, eff. 1-1-24; 103-1022, eff. 8-9-24.)

(110 ILCS 152/20)

Sec. 20. Course transferability.

(a) All courses approved for Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education codes must be transferable as a part of the General Education Core Curriculum package, consistent with the specific requirements of the package. Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education courses taken during the public health emergency declared by proclamation of the Governor due to the COVID-19 pandemic during calendar year 2020 must be transferable for students receiving a grade of "pass", "credit", or "satisfactory" and shall fulfill the prerequisite requirements for advanced courses.

(a-5) All public institutions' Illinois Articulation Initiative major courses must be transferable as direct course equivalents toward the requirements of the major. If the receiving institution does not offer the course or does not offer it at the lower-division level, the student shall receive elective lower-division major credit toward the requirements of the major for the course and may be required to take the course at the upper-division level.

(b) Students receiving the full General Education Core Curriculum package must not be required to take additional lower-division general education courses.

(Source: P.A. 103-469, eff. 1-1-24.)

(110 ILCS 152/25)

Sec. 25. Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board duties.

(a) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall co-manage the implementation, oversight, and evaluation of the Illinois Articulation Initiative, including determining when panels must be discontinued or convened and the specific requirements of the General Education Core Curriculum. Panels must be convened across the fields of General Education, Communications, Humanities and Fine Arts, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mathematics, Elementary and Secondary Education, and other fields as determined by the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board.

(b) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall provide a joint report on an annual basis to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Illinois P-20 Council on the status of the Illinois Articulation Initiative and the implementation of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 103-469, eff. 1-1-24.)

(110 ILCS 152/30)

Sec. 30. Degree program advice. To improve articulation and reduce excess academic credit hours, beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, each public institution shall require any student who, upon completing 30 academic credit hours, is interested in pursuing an associate degree or baccalaureate degree at the public institution in which he or she is enrolled or at another public institution to indicate to the public institution in which he or she is enrolled all of his or her degree programs of interest. The public institution in which the student is enrolled shall make a reasonable attempt to conduct a meeting with the student and an academic advisor of the public institution, who shall inform the student of the prerequisite requirements for the student's degree programs of interest.

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