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(From left to right) Dr. Ryen Nagle, vice president of Academic Affairs, Moraine Valley; Dr. Michael Bates, dean of Science, Business and Computer Technology, Moraine Valley; Mallik Sundharam, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Illinois Tech; Dr. Pamela J. Haney, president, Moraine Valley; Christina Carney-Simon, transfer coordinator, Moraine Valley; Dr. Helen Wood, assistant dean of Science, Business and Computer Technology, Moraine Valley; Michelle Garcia Nieto, associate director of Board Relations, Illinois Tech; and Dr. Normah Salleh-Barone, vice president of Student Development, Moraine Valley.
Moraine Valley Community College recently announced a guaranteed admission partnership and articulation agreement with the Illinois Institute of Technology. Through the agreement, Moraine Valley students can earn their bachelor’s degree at Illinois Tech by securing admission in advance while completing their associate degree.
Qualified students receive a guaranteed annual $25,000 Transfer Scholarship and access to experiential learning opportunities with Illinois Tech.
This agreement is the first of its kind between the two institutions. Dr. Michael Bates, dean of Science, Business and Computer Technology at Moraine Valley, explained, “We have maybe 100 students coming in a year who say they want to be engineers.” He outlined that the agreement with Illinois Tech helps bridge the gap for students seeking similar transfer opportunities after receiving their Associate in Engineering Science degree.
Participating Moraine Valley students will receive one-on-one support from a dedicated Illinois Tech transfer admission counselor. Students who enroll in the program also may take Illinois Tech nondegree courses while still at Moraine Valley at a deeply discounted rate of 10% of Illinois Tech’s standard tuition per credit hour, allowing them to build Illinois Tech credit before they officially transfer.
Moraine Valley is one of the largest undergraduate feeder institutions for Illinois Tech and its single largest feeder school outside Chicago. Bates mentioned a large portion of the agreement hinged on ensuring Moraine Valley students first earned their Associate in Engineering Science degree prior to transferring to Illinois Tech. “It’s really important that you have a credential for your two years here at Moraine Valley, and you’re not transferring without a degree. We didn’t want students to leave with 60 credits and no degree,” he said.
“At Illinois Tech, we believe that where a student starts should never limit where they can go. Moraine Valley has long sent us outstanding students who go on to thrive in some of the most in-demand fields in technology, engineering and business, and this partnership allows us to engage even more of them earlier in their academic journey,” said Mallik Sundharam, Illinois Tech vice president for enrollment management and student affairs. “We are proud to build a formal pathway that meets Moraine Valley students where they are and provides the tools, support and scholarship resources they need to achieve their full potential at Illinois Tech.”
Dr. Pamela J. Haney, Moraine Valley college president, echoed, “Moraine Valley Community College always has been committed to opening doors and creating pathways that take our students further than they ever imagined possible. This partnership with Illinois Tech is a powerful extension of that mission — it gives our students a guaranteed, supported and affordable route to a premier bachelor’s degree in the fields where opportunity is great.”
The agreement is based on student interest, and eligibility is based on completion of an Associate in Engineering Science degree, a GPA of at least 3.0 and completion of relevant coursework.
To learn more about the partnership, visit iit.edu/moraine-valley.
For news media inquiries, contact Madisson Younglove, assistant director of Communications at Moraine Valley, at (708) 974-5281 or younglovem2@morainevalley.edu.
