By Beth Kalisiak

 A new dual admissions agreement between IVCC and Northern Illinois University should provide a smoother transition for transfer students.

As a result of the agreement signed on March 30, IVCC students who enroll in this program will receive mailings from both colleges keeping them up to date with events and orientation information.

"Bottom line for me, is that it provides better communication between the two institutions,"

counselor Renee Jones said. "We hope all students that are committed to attending NIU take advantage of this option."

Applicants will have free access to student records and counseling services at both institutions.

The requirements for the Dual Admissions Program are that the student knows he/she will definitely be attending NIU, meet the transfer requirements, maintain a 2.0 GPA as long as they are enrolled in the program, and want to achieve their bachelor's at NIU.

Students can fill out a dual admissions application in their freshman year at IVCC.

"We made the agreement because as long as students maintain IVCC and NIU admissions standards, they can be accepted while enrolled at IVCC," said Jones.

This is IVCC's first dual agreement and it went smoothly, Jones said.

"NIU approached IVCC with the idea and (IVCC President) Dr. (Jean) Goodnow requested a follow through to take advantage of it," she said. "It was a collaborative effort."

NIU already has the agreement with 16 other colleges. Because this agreement went smoothly, another Dual Admissions Program may be in the works with Western Illinois University, said Jones.

"At last count in February approximately 150 former IVCC students are at NIU which ranks second or third among Illinois colleges to which IVCC students transfer," she said. "The first ranked college is Illinois State University."