Western Illinois University Providing Services to Lincoln College Students for Seamless Transfer
MACOMB/Moline, IL – Western Illinois University has always prided itself on being a transfer-friendly institution, with incentives and processes in place to make the transfer process from community and other colleges to WIU as smooth and seamless as possible. As over 1,000 students are affected with the May 13 closure of Lincoln College, WIU is providing resources and incentives to ensure Lincoln College students can continue their educational journey.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is providing transfer credit evaluations to any Lincoln College student who applies to WIU, and will accept unofficial copies of their Lincoln transcripts to begin the evaluation process. In addition, the application fee has been waived for those students from Lincoln applying to WIU.
Western’s Cost Guarantee, which is extended to all transfer students, provides sound financial planning for students, as its the only Cost Guarantee program in the state to include housing and meal plans, in addition to tuition and fees. That means what a student pays when they enter WIU is what they’ll pay their senior year as all costs are frozen for up to four years of continuous undergraduate enrollment.
“In addition, Western’s transfer scholarship is renewable for three years, where most other state institutions allow for only two years, and our transfer scholarship is also available to part-time students, so there is a great deal of flexibility for transfer students,” added Doug Freed, director of undergraduate admissions.
Western has an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place with Lincoln College that has been approved by the Higher Learning Commission. The MOU ensures that credit residency requirements are waived for LC students seeking to transfer, along with other measures to ensure a seamless transfer.
“We welcome Lincoln College and other transfer students to Western. We have numerous academic and other resources in place to help students succeed, whether they’re a freshman, a sophomore or even a senior,” said Amber Schultz, vice president for enrollment management. “We know the situation at Lincoln has been upsetting for its students, many who are first generation students. At Western, nearly 40 percent of our student body is first generation, and we have programs and resources in place for our first gen students.”
For more information on transferring to WIU, and general WIU application information, visit wiu.edu/transfer and wiu.edu/apply, respectively.
