Illinois high school juniors can now pre-apply for college under a new program the state launched.
The Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board and Illinois Student Assistance Commission launched a program last year called One Click College Admit, which offers students admission to most of the state’s public universities and all of its community colleges.
It’s also open for community college students who are on pace to get their associate degree and want to transfer to a public four-year university, Illinois Student Assistance Commission spokesperson Vera Mandilovitch said.
“Students who take advantage of the program receive direct college admission offers based only on their grade-point average [GPA], without applications, essays, letters of recommendation or application fees,” Mandilovitch said.
High school juniors can participate by filling out the opt-in form at onelickadmit.org. Parents or guardians are required to complete the form for students younger than 18. The deadline for juniors to opt in is May 22.
The opt-in gives permission for schools to share the student’s GPA with ISAC, which then matches students’ GPAs with the grade requirements of participating schools. Students also have to create an account on the Common App, an online application where students can apply to hundreds of colleges and universities.
Direct admission offers come during the fall of high school students’ senior year. As of Feb. 25, 2,470 students have signed up for the program, Mandilovitch said.
In addition to all of the state’s community colleges, 10 of the state’s 12 public universities participate in the program. The University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign do not, according to the program website.
Joliet Junior College spokesperson Katie Smith said the college is “committed to supporting One Click College Admit as part of broader efforts to expand access to higher education, simplifying pathways for students and reducing barriers to college entry.” Smith added JJC is actively preparing for the program.
By the end of February, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb had received about 2,000 more admission applications from high school students compared with last year, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications Sol Jensen said, adding he thought it was fair to attribute the increase to the One Click College Admit program.
“However, we won’t know if it will have an impact on the actual enrollment of those applicants until September,” Jensen said via email.
Curtis Menke, a college and career counselor at McHenry High School, said the program will fully launch with this year’s high school juniors, students who will graduate in 2027. This year’s seniors got a “beta version” of the program, he said.
Juniors and their parents can opt in by May 22 and school districts are responsible for submitting the GPA information by June. College acceptances come out in early September, Menke said.
However, Menke said, a student who doesn’t meet a school’s GPA requirements can apply another way. The program doesn’t replace the traditional college admissions application, he said.
One Click College Admit is not a financial aid or free tuition program, according to its website.
McHenry High School launched an awareness campaign in February to promote the program. The state of Illinois also promoted the program during February, which it highlighted as One Click College Admit Month.
Menke said the high school wanted to find time between sports seasons. He said the school was aiming to find the “opportune time” to maximize the campaign’s audience.
The high school also sought to launch the campaign in the second half of students’ junior year when college gets closer. Doing it too early would mean “the urgency won’t be there,” Menke said.
Mandilovitch said there are lots of resources for students and families.
High school juniors and parents can check their school’s calendar to see if the school is offering a One Click College Admit workshop. Free virtual workshops to learn more about the program and to sign up for it are available at isac.org/OCCA-workshops.
She added people can connect with ISACorps members in person, by phone or online at isac.org/isacorps. They also can schedule a free virtual appointment at isac.org/booking.
ISACorps members are recent college graduates from across Illinois who can help with “the ins and outs of selecting and applying to college, scholarship searches, student financial aid and financial aid application completion,” according to the ISAC website.
“Those attending other college-going or financial aid workshops offered by ISAC will also receive information about One Click College Admit and can view upcoming events on ISAC’s events calendar at isac.org/events," Mandilovitch said, adding high school juniors, parents and community college students also can watch videos about how to sign up for the program at isac.org/OCCA-videos.