The Partnership for College Completion received a Bridges to Brighter Futures grant from Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust to further analyze Illinois’ transfer ecosystem. This investment allows PCC to conduct a cross-sector, qualitative landscape analysis of Illinois’ transfer ecosystem to assess how the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) and advising practices impact transfer student success.
PCC will produce a report that synthesizes findings, and will host convenings to bring together community college and university practitioners, institutional leaders, researchers, and state stakeholders to discuss the findings and advance collaborative solutions.
“PCC is excited to dive further into the intricacies of Illinois’ transfer pathways to reveal the opportunities to help get our state’s students to where they want to be,” said Rebecca Popelka, PCC Director of Institutional Partnerships. “We thank The Chicago Community Trust for believing in what our students can achieve when removing unnecessarily complex barriers.”
This project builds on findings from a report PCC published in April 2025, “Seamless Success: Transforming College Transfer in Illinois,” revealing how Illinois’ transfer systems often fail to provide an affordable path to a bachelor’s degree, particularly for low-income students and students of color.
“Seamless Success” cites a disjointed and opaque transfer process, compounded by underinvestment, limited advising, and outdated institutional policies. These issues make the transfer route more expensive and less successful than students expect it will be, especially for those who need it most. State initiatives like IAI and the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (STAR Act) were designed to simplify transfers, but the measures do not sufficiently clarify pathways for students or campus advisors, resulting in a process that is inconsistent, unclear, and stressful for students.
In the next year, PCC will conduct interviews with two- and four-year practitioners and transfer students, ensuring the analysis reflects lived institutional and student realities, rather than policy assumptions.
“By centering practitioners’ and students’ experience, our work will reflect community-defined needs and produce actionable insights that institutions can use to strengthen equitable transfer pathways,” Popelka said.
Bridges to Brighter Futures provides grants to organizations that address the challenges low-income postsecondary students face on the path to graduating and securing good jobs that offer long-term economic security. Funded through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, Bridges to Brighter Futures is a collaboration between Kinship Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust.