New SIU-C program connects community college students with 4-year degree online

A new agreement between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Illinois Community...
A new agreement between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) will allow some community college students to earn a four-year degree.
Published: Sep. 27, 2021 at 10:57 AM CDT
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CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - A new agreement between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) will allow some community college students to earn a four-year degree.

The agreement under the Saluki Step Ahead program will allow qualified community college students earn a bachelor’s degree remotely and at a lower cost.

The offer is for the following six academic programs: accounting, business administration, health care management, radiologic sciences, criminology and criminal justice and psychology.

Students will need an associate degree from an Illinois community college to participate. The third and fourth years, through the Saluki Step Ahead program, students will receive an annual $4,000 scholarship to help reduce the cost of earning a bachelor’s degree.

“Many community college students can’t uproot their lives and come to Carbondale to earn their bachelor’s degrees,” stated SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane. “We’re taking SIU Carbondale to them in an accessible and affordable way. Students want our brand of degree. They prefer to take classes from SIU Carbondale.”

The new program was unveiled at Shawnee Community College in Ullin on September 17, with a ceremonial signing of an agreement with SIU.

The university is in discussions with several other Illinois community colleges regarding similar partnerships.

“This program allows students to immediately accelerate their education with guaranteed and seamless transfer of courses to an established four-year institution at a fraction of the cost,” stated ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham. “It also gives them tremendous flexibility by allowing them to complete their bachelor’s degree at home while maintaining other life responsibilities.”

According to SIU, Illinois has the third-largest community college system in the nation, with 48 colleges throughout the state. More than 600,000 Illinois residents participate in noncredit and credit courses each year.

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