Students’ and counselors’ days of determining courses that will transfer to a 4-year university are numbered, with the signing of a new agreement that promises to serve as a template for future transfer agreements. The College of DuPage signed a seamless Transfer Agreement Guarantee (TAG) with the University of Illinois-Chicago that will guarantee admissions to a student’s preferred major upon successful completion of admission requirements.

Under this agreement, students will be given the green light to continue their studies in Architecture, Design, and the Arts; Business Administration; Education; Engineering; Liberal Arts and Sciences; Public Health; and Urban Planning and Public Affairs at one of Illinois’ top-notch universities.

This agreement, likened to a bridge, will create a pathway for students with a 3.0 GPA to be admitted as juniors, while those earning a 3.8 GPA will be privileged to gain acceptance into UIC’s Honors College.

“It combines the best of both worlds, a quality two-year university experience at COD plus another two years of university experience at UIC,” said Emmanuel Awuah, COD’s associate vice president for academic affairs. “There are no barriers between COD and UIC. Both from a physical and psychological point of view, we have created this bridge for them. A bridge that makes it predictable, that gives students a peace of mind when they start their journey at COD. The transfer agreement guarantee is a cost-effective, efficient, and effective plan that provides students and their families a true peace of mind.”

Students who wish to enter into UIC after COD are relieved from the stress of long admission processes that usually take into account a revision of courses, and a waiting period to hear from admissions officers at a 4-year university. It’s not only cost effective given the relatively low tuition rates at a community college like COD, but it gives students a 4-year plan from their first day of college at COD.

The signing of this agreement comes barely three weeks after the Ann Rondeau-led administration signed a reverse transfer agreement with the Northern Illinois University.

Like the NIU transfer agreement, the bridge incorporates a reverse transfer agreement and has been extolled as the college’s most comprehensive transfer agreement.

“A reverse transfer is where a former student of COD, who did not finish his or her associate’s degree before the student transferred to a four-year institution, is allowed to complete the necessary credits to earn a two-year degree while at a new school,” said Earl Dowling in a past interview with the Courier.

On the other hand, it will strengthen and deepen the bond of friendship between COD and UIC.

“This partnership will continue to provide access to quality, affordable education, for people to meet the workforce need of the region,” said Ann Rondeau, president/COD. “It provides a clear pathway to a bachelor’s degree in almost all majors in several colleges.”

UIC, a university that has a population of slightly under 50 percent undergraduate transferred students, wants this agreement to help students to be decisive and avoid interruptions, and to prevent them from overstaying at universities while accumulating debt.

“We want students to take opportunities to reduce cost by using the 2-year pathway,” said Kevin M. Browne, vice provost for academic and enrollment services at UIC. “To do that we need to make sure we have all act together on transfer, coursework, and clear articulation. We want students who we cannot accommodate to know that there is a pathway experience.”

Are you interested in the University of Illinois-Chicago transfer agreement? Visit a specially designed website www.tag.uic.com to understand basic details about the university’s transfer agreement with a community college like COD.