The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) is a comprehensive, statewide articulation effort among colleges and universities in Illinois. The purpose of the Illinois Articulation Initiative is to identify common curriculum requirements across associate and baccalaureate degrees and across institutions to facilitate student transfer. The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum identifies the common general education coursework. The Board of Higher Education’s policies on transfer ask community and junior colleges to incorporate the Illinois transferable General Education Core Curriculum into their requirements for the AA degree. The Baccalaureate Majors’ Recommendations build on the transferable General Education Core Curriculum by identifying major and prerequisite courses that students need to complete to transfer as a junior into the specific major. Each major recommendation explicitly encourages community and junior college students to complete an AA, AS, or AES degree prior to transfer.

Associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions are equal partners in providing the first two years of baccalaureate degree programs in Illinois. While each institution is ultimately responsible for the quality of the programs it provides, both associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions are expected to work together to assure that their lower-division baccalaureate programs are comparable in scope, quality, and intellectual rigor. Any student admitted in transfer to an Illinois baccalaureate degree-granting institution should be granted standing comparable to current students who have completed the same number of baccalaureate-level credit hours and should be able to progress toward degree completion at a rate comparable to that of students who entered the baccalaureate institution as first-time freshmen. To assure students of comparable treatment, it is expected that:

1. Students admitted in transfer who have earned an Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited Illinois community or junior college whose general-education requirement for the degree incorporates the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum will have met the receiving institution’s all-campus, lower division, general education requirement for the baccalaureate degree. A receiving institution may, however, require admitted transfer students to complete an institution-wide and/or mission-related graduation requirement beyond the scope of the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum.
2. Students admitted in transfer who have satisfactorily completed the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum at any regionally accredited Illinois college or university prior to transfer should be granted credit in lieu of the receiving institution’s all-campus, lower division general education requirement for an associate or baccalaureate degree. A receiving institution may, however, require admitted transfer students to complete an institution-wide and/or mission-related graduation requirement that is beyond the scope of the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum.
3. Students admitted in transfer who have satisfactorily completed courses within the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum at a regionally accredited Illinois college or university should be granted credit towards fulfilling the receiving institution’s comparable all campus, lower division general education requirement.
4. Students admitted in transfer who have met program entry requirements and have satisfactorily completed courses described in an Illinois Articulation Initiative Baccalaureate Major Curriculum Recommendation at a regionally accredited Illinois college or university should be granted credit towards fulfilling the receiving institution’s comparable lower division requirements for that specific major. Where admission is competitive, completion of a Baccalaureate Major Recommendation does not guarantee admission.

Highland’s Participation in the Illinois Articulation Initiative

As a participant in the Illinois Articulation Initiative, Highland Community College will observe the following procedures concerning the adoption and implementation of the agreements associated with the IAI:

• The IAI agreement went into effect for students entering an associate or baccalaureate degree-granting institution as a first-time freshman in the summer of 1998 and thereafter. In anticipation of this initiative, Highland implemented the transferable General Education Core Curriculum, effective in the fall of 1997.
• Completing the AA degree is certified as completing the IAI General Education Core Curriculum. Students completing an AS or AES degree have the option of completing the IAI General Education Core Curriculum; please see a student advisor for more information.
• Completion of the IAI General Education Core Curriculum will be noted on the official transcript when the student applies for graduation.
• Highland will recognize all courses on the approved list of courses taken at any participating college or university for credit toward fulfilling Highland’s core curriculum requirements.
• Courses with a grade of “D” are acceptable for evaluation for the core curriculum requirements; however, a minimum grade of “C” is required in both writing classes needed for the Communications component of the IAI General Education Core Curriculum. Students must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA to be certified as having completed the IAI General Education Core Curriculum and to receive an AA, AS, or AES degree.
• Evaluation of courses taken at out-of-state or non-participating in-state, accredited colleges and universities will be completed by the Office of Admissions and Records upon receipt of official academic transcripts. Courses accepted in transfer may apply to AA, AS, or AES degree requirements but may or may not be certified under the IAI General Education Core Curriculum.
• Students transferring into Highland who have not earned an AA degree prior to attending Highland and who have not been certified as having fulfilled the IAI General Education Core Curriculum must fulfill Highland’s core curriculum requirements in order to earn an AA degree.
• Highland Community College will waive a fraction of a semester hour completed in an approved core course at a participating college or university. However, students must complete a minimum of 40-42 semester hours to satisfy the Highland College core curriculum requirements.
• Students who have not decided on a major should begin their studies by enrolling in courses within the transferable IAI General Education Core Curriculum. Students should seek assistance from a student advisor regarding career planning since delays in selecting a major may extend the time necessary to complete a degree. Furthermore, once a student has begun work in a particular major, a change in major may increase the number of credits needed to complete a bachelor’s degree because some courses completed for the original major may no longer fulfill the requirements for the new major.

All Highland Community College courses that apply to the IAI General Education Core Curriculum and Major areas will have an official IAI course code listed at the end of each course description.

Visit the college website to learn specific transfer information and equivalency guides related to many Illinois and area public and private institutions. For more information, contact Highland’s Transfer Coordinator at 815-599-3664.

NOTE: Updated, state-approved lists of General Education and Major area courses are available online at: iTransfer.org.