Illinois Articulation Initiative

The Illinois Articulation Initiative is a statewide agreement designed to allow students to transfer general education credit, as well as credit earned in select majors, between participating institutions. UIS has participated in IAI since 1998.

The IAI General Education Core Curriculum is a package of lower-division general education courses that can transfer from one participating school to another to fulfill the lower-division general education requirements. The General Education Core Curriculum package consists of at least 12 to 13 courses (37 to 41 semester credits) in five fields or categories. Completion of the entire IAI General Education Core Curriculum satisfies lower-division general education requirements for a bachelor’s degree at UIS.

UIS also participates in certain IAI Baccalaureate Majors Recommendations. These recommendations are designed to enable students to transfer courses in the major between participating institutions without loss of credit. UIS reviews each Illinois Articulation Initiative major course to determine whether UIS will grant credit for electives, general education requirements, or major requirements. Please review the Admissions transfer website for specific information regarding course articulations (including how IAI major courses and credits are accepted). It is the student’s responsibility to have official transcripts sent to the Office of Admission from all previous institutions attended. If elective credit is granted, a student may submit a Student Petition asking for credit to be applied to a specific major course or degree requirement.

To facilitate credit transfer and to reduce students acquiring excess academic credit hours, UIS makes a reasonable attempt to conduct a meeting with degree-seeking students who have earned 30 or more academic credit hours and have not yet declared a program of study. The Center for Academic Success and Advising (CASA) reaches out to these students each semester to inform the students of the prerequisite requirements for all programs of interest. Undecided students who wish to seek advising and information regarding programs of interest should contact CASA for assistance.