Illinois to Launch Direct Admissions

Illinois has passed a bill creating a direct admissions program for nine of the state’s 11 public universities, Capital News Illinois reported Monday; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the state’s flagship, and the University of Illinois Chicago will not participate in the program.

Direct admissions programs allow colleges to automatically admit any student in the state who meets certain academic criteria, without requiring the student to apply. In Illinois, each participating campus will develop its own criteria. The program is slated to go live for the 2027–28 academic year.

“This new, statewide direct admissions program will make a college degree more accessible for students and will motivate them to continue in their life-changing college journey by ensuring them a spot at their community college or at one of the state’s public universities,” Illinois Board of Higher Education executive director Ginger Ostro told Capital News Illinois in a Monday statement.

Illinois joins a list of over a dozen states that offer direct admissions.