Community College Counselor Guide

Admission Factors

We consider the following factors during the admission review process:

• Course prerequisites for a specific program
• Number of transferable credit hours required for a specific program
• Transferable cumulative GPA (based on all transferable courses attempted; if a course is retaken, all grades that appear on the transcript will be factored into the student’s GPA)
• Involvement and work experience
• Additional information supplied in the application essay

Dates & Deadlines

You can view our dates and deadlines for spring and fall 2026 transfer applicants on the transfer timeline page of our website. Fall applicants are encouraged to submit their application and all materials by the priority deadlines to receive an earlier decision.

Please note that students do not apply directly for our summer term. If students are interested in taking summer courses at Illinois, they may apply for fall and request a term change if they’re admitted and have accepted their offer. They can do so by submitting our Program/Term Change Form in myIllini.

Application Details

Transfer applicants will apply for admission through our myIllini portal. They need to make sure they meet the requirements outlined in the Transfer Handbook for whatever major they select on the application. If they choose to select a second-choice major, they must meet those requirements as well. If applicants aren’t selected for admission to their first choice, they’ll be considered for their second choice.

We strongly encourage applicants applying to more competitive majors to list a second-choice major. Please note that not all majors are available due to space constraints. Majors unavailable as a second choice include all Gies Business majors, all Grainger Engineering majors, all Computer Science + X majors, all X + Data Science majors, and all Music majors except Music BA, which does not require an audition.

Applicants must submit transcripts from all colleges attended for the application to be complete. A high school transcript or proof of high school completion is also required as part of the admissions process.

There is a $75 application fee. If you are working with a domestic student who qualifies for a fee waiver, you will need to submit an application fee waiver form verifying financial hardship. Fee waivers should be submitted online through our Counselor Portal. International students do not qualify for fee waivers.

English Proficiency

Students must meet one of our listed conditions to satisfy the minimum English proficiency requirement. If you’re working with a student who didn’t attend all four years of high school and all college in the U.S., they are required to submit an English Language Proficiency exam score (TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo) or satisfy our two-year rule for domestic coursework.

Language Requirements

Many colleges don’t require language for admission, but we strongly encourage students to complete the language graduation requirement prior to transferring.

Level Requirements by College

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, all students are required to complete at least 45 semester hours of credit at Illinois. At least 21 of these credit hours must be at the 300 or 400 level.

Re-Entry Policy

Students who have previously attended Illinois shouldn’t submit a transfer application. They should instead talk to the college they wish to enter about its re-entry policy.

AP & IB Credit

In compliance with the College and Career Success for All Students Act, we accept scores of three or higher on every Advanced Placement (AP) exam for enrolling students. We also award academic credit for scores of four or higher on any International Baccalaureate (IB) exam (Higher or Standard Level) for enrolling students.

U of I System Transfer Guarantee

We encourage your students to check out the U of I System Transfer Guarantee, through which qualifying students are guaranteed admission into any of our University of Illinois locations! Students who meet the listed requirements are guaranteed admission to the university, not to a specific college or major. They must complete our application during the appropriate filing period for consideration.

Transcripts

Official transcripts can be sent electronically by schools using electronic transcript vendors; the recipient email address should be etranscript@illinois.edu. They can also be mailed directly from your high school or college to our office.

International Academic Records

If you’re working with a student who attended high school outside of the U.S., any academic records sent to us must be official or certified as true copies and issued in English or accompanied by a certified English translation. Learn more about how we accept international transcripts.