101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB1309
 
Introduced 2/7/2019, by Sen. Chapin Rose
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 

 
110 ILCS 205/9.07a new

     Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to establish a uniform admission process online, which must be used at all public institutions of higher education beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year; sets forth what components this admission process must include. Effective July 1, 2019.
  


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
 
 
A BILL FOR
 

  
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1    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
3represented in the General Assembly:
  



 
 
4    Section 5. The Board of Higher Education Act is amended  by 
5adding Section 9.07a as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 205/9.07a new)
7    Sec. 9.07a. Uniform admission process.  The Board shall 
8establish a uniform admission process online, which must be 
9used at all public institutions of higher education beginning 
10with the 2021-2022 academic year. The goal of this uniform 
11admission process program is to ensure that no matter which 
12institution an applicant initially applies to, if that 
13institution denies the applicant acceptance, then the 
14applicant may be offered admission to another public 
15institution of higher education.  This admission process must 
16include the following components:
17        (1) The Board shall create a uniform admission 
18    application known as the "Universal App", to be accepted at 
19    all public institutions of higher education.  The Board 
20    shall make the Universal App available online on the 
21    Board's website.  The Board shall inform all high schools in 
22    this State of the availability of the Universal App online, 
23    and high school personnel shall provide this information to 
 
 
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1    students and their parents or guardian. Each high school 
2    shall allow a student, with the help of high school 
3    personnel, to complete the Universal App during school 
4    hours if the student's parent or guardian has not chosen to 
5    opt the student out of using school hours for that purpose. 
6    Universal App data must be sent to all public universities.  
7    An applicant who is not offered admission to a public 
8    university must be automatically referred to the community 
9    college district where the applicant resides and provided 
10    with enrollment information from that district.
11        (2) If a public institution of higher education accepts 
12    a person for admission to the institution, the person shall 
13    receive a letter of acceptance from the institution, which 
14    shall set forth any grant or scholarship offers extended by 
15    the institution at that time.  However, nothing shall 
16    prevent the institution from subsequently enhancing such 
17    grant or scholarship offers to the person.
18        (3)  The process must be integrated so that an applicant 
19    may choose which public institutions of higher education 
20    will receive his or her application and may rank the 
21    institutions in order of his or her preference of 
22    attendance. The process must also be integrated so that an 
23    applicant may choose to indicate that if he or she is not 
24    offered admittance to any of his or her indicated public 
25    institutions of choice, the Board may forward his or her 
26    academic information to all other public institutions of 
 
 
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1    higher education. Public institutions of higher education 
2    may choose to admit the student based upon the 
3    institution's criteria and shall notify the student of his 
4    or her admittance.   The Board shall also forward the 
5    Universal App to the community college district where the 
6    applicant resides.
7        (4) The Board may charge an applicant an application 
8    fee of no more than $25 for completing a Universal App 
9    under this Section. This fee may be paid by credit card or 
10    a check payable to the Board of Higher Education and shall 
11    be deposited into the Universal App Fund, which is hereby 
12    created as a nonappropriated trust fund to be held outside 
13    the State treasury, with the State Treasurer as custodian. 
14    Money in the Fund shall be used only for operation costs 
15    relating to the Universal App. Any excess money in the Fund 
16    not used by the Board for operation costs shall be 
17    distributed by the Board to public institutions of higher 
18    education. 
19        (5)  All admission decisions shall be made by each 
20    public institution of higher education, not the Board.
 
 
21    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
222019.