Savannah Weishaar
Reporter
Beginning in Fall 2019, the University of Illinois will offer free tuition to select students. To qualify for the Illinois Commitment program, potential students must meet several requirements. The student and his or her parents must be Illinois residents. The student must be under the age of 24 and applying to the university as a new freshmen or transfer student. The student’s family’s annual income must be less than $61,000. Last but not least, the family’s total assets including property, equipment, accounts, etc., can have a sum of no more than $50,000. While this may seem selective, the program has the potential to change the lives of thousands all over Illinois.
Many students and faculty happily commented on the new program in a video the university recently released regarding this opportunity. David, a U of I student said, “No matter what college I got accepted to, if I can’t pay for it, it doesn’t matter.” Obviously for this student and many others, tuition cost is the deciding factor in attending a university. Unfortunately, because of this reason, the university is simply not an option for many. For an Illinois resident, tuition can cost up to $36,000 a year at the U of I. However, with Illinois Commitment, studying at the University of Illinois is now within reach for many, which, according to the programs page, is exactly its intention, “Our commitment is to make the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign more affordable for its students.”
This is an amazing opportunity for students in Illinois; but specifically for students at Parkland College to continue their education without breaking the bank or having to relocate. This program will likely affect many Parkland students. For example, those enrolled in the Pathways Program, a direct transfer program from Parkland to U of I, now have the opportunity to continue their educational path for free. In addition, those that attend Parkland community college and don’t have the funds to continue their education at a university might now have the chance to do so. As the dean of applied health science Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell said in the video released “There will be a whole lot more people [that will] be able to go to school!” Of Course this program is not only beneficial for students but for the university as well. While the university has surely started this program with the best interest of its students in mind, enrollment is guaranteed to increase greatly, bringing countless benefits to the university. Nonetheless, this mutually beneficial program is a positive advancement for the state.
By creating Illinois Commitment, the University of Illinois is taking a huge step in the direction towards affordable education, “This will be a game changer for a number of families across this state that yes you can afford an Illinois education.” said the Chancellor of U of I Robert Jones to conclude the informational video. Hopes for the future include not just an affordable Illinois education, but affordable education in the rest of the country as well. U of I has set the bar extremely high for other universities to provide affordable education too. In the video U of I head football coach Lovie Smith said it best “Students that do well in school that want to get a great education should have an opportunity to go to college.” With this new commitment towards education, everyone does have the opportunity to go to college. It is a sure guarantee that Illinois Commitment will change the lives of thousands of students all over the state.
For more information or access to the video quoted in this article please visit https://admissions.illinois.edu/commitment.
