Community College Counselor Guide
This guide provides all of the information you need to know as you work with spring/fall 2026 transfer applicants. Thank you for all you do for our students!
This guide provides all of the information you need to know as you work with spring/fall 2026 transfer applicants. Thank you for all you do for our students!
We consider the following factors during the admission review process:
You can view our dates and deadlines for spring and fall 2026 transfer applicants in the transfer application section 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.
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.
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.
Many colleges don't require language for admission, but we strongly encourage students to complete the language graduation requirement prior to transferring.
College | Admission | Graduation |
---|---|---|
College of Agricultural, Consumer, & Environmental Sciences | – | Level 3 |
College of Applied Health Sciences | – | Level 3 |
College of Education | Level 3 if completed in high school, Level 2 if completed in college | Level 3 |
College of Fine & Applied Arts | Level 2 | Level 3 |
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | – | Level 4 |
College of Media | Level 2 | Level 3 |
Gies College of Business | Level 3 if completed in high school, Level 2 if completed in college | Level 3 |
Grainger College of Engineering | – | Level 3 |
School of Information Sciences | – | Level 3 |
School of Social Work | – | Level 3 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For need-based financial aid, students should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Our FAFSA school code is 001775. Illinois residents who aren't otherwise eligible for federal financial aid can submit the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.
The FAFSA opens in December, allowing students and their families to file using tax information from two years ago. We recommend students apply as soon as possible to be fully considered for all financial aid programs for Spring 2026, Summer 2026, or Fall 2026. (Students who are entering for the Spring 2026 semester should fill out the 2025-2026 FAFSA.) Students who miss the university preferential filing date of March 15 can still file the FAFSA and will be considered for state and federal student financial aid programs with later deadlines.
Students must submit the FAFSA to be considered for Illinois Commitment, which covers tuition and campus fees for up to three years (six semesters) of continuous enrollment for all qualified in-state transfer students who have graduated from an Illinois high school.
We host in-person visits for prospective and admitted transfer students. Students can also get a better feel for our campus and culture by visiting virtually as we host Transfer Success Worskhops. Students can also meet one-on-one with a member of our Transfer Admissions Team for a pre-admission advising session.
Students who have earned fewer than 30 transferable hours of college credit at the time of enrollment and who have not lived in another institution's residence hall for a full academic year are required to live in university-approved housing their first year at Illinois. University Housing, which is owned by the university, includes a transfer community in Scott Hall. Private Certified Housing facilities, which are privately owned and operated, are also approved by the university for students.
Undergraduates 20 years or older can live in graduate housing, and those with 30 or more credit hours can live in our Ashton Woods apartments. Many transfer students also decide to live in off-campus apartments. Our Off-Campus Community Living office can help students find apartments, review lease contracts, answer questions about landlord complaint histories, and more.
If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to our office! You can also contact our transfer counselors directly:
901 West Illinois Street
Urbana, IL 61801
Email: admissions@illinois.edu
Phone: (217) 333-0302
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