NORMAL (25News Now) – Instead of spending hours on applications and essays, Illinois high school graduates could be college-bound just by having good grades.

The General Assembly passed HB3522, which would create the Public University Direct Admission Program Act.

According to the bill awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature, high school seniors in good academic standing will be automatically admitted to nine public universities. Those include:

• Illinois State University
• University of Illinois at Springfield
• Southern Illinois University
• Chicago State University
• Eastern Illinois University
• Governors State University
• Northeastern Illinois University
• Northern Illinois University
• Western Illinois University

A spokesperson for ISU said, “In-state residents who attend and graduate from an Illinois institution of higher education are more likely to stay and find work here, bolstering our economy and improving life for all Illinoisans.”

ISU staffers have not yet established the standards for direct admission but still have time.

According to the bill, college administrators must identify grade point average requirements and share them with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission by March 1, 2026.

The commission will then collect data from school districts to determine which students meet those standards and report back to the Board of Higher Education. The commission and Board of Higher Ed will repeat that process each year.

Gov. Pritzker called the act a “commonsense solution” to ease the burden of paying for multiple application fees during the college admission process.

Once the Governor signs the bill, the Public University Direct Admission Program Act will start during the 2027-2028 school year.

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