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Overview

DePaul University participates in a state-wide agreement with over 100 colleges in Illinois that is aimed at making transfer predictable and smooth.  The agreement is called the Illinois Articulation Initiative, or the “IAI”.

DePaul participates in the General Education Core Curriculum of the Illinois Articulation Initiative only (DePaul does not participate in Phase Two, the Major Phase). Completion of the IAI General Education Core Curriculum, also called the IAI/GECC, at any participating college or university in Illinois ensures transferring students that most of the lower-division general education requirements at DePaul have been satisfied. For students transferring into DePaul's School for New Learning, see below. Students who have completed the IAI General Education Core Curriculum will still have to meet the following mission-specific requirements at DePaul: the Experiential Learning and Senior Year Capstone courses, two Philosophical Inquiry and two Religious Dimension courses that fulfill the Liberal Studies Program requirements.

If students have completed all or a portion of the philosophy and religion requirements, students should talk with their academic advisor at DePaul about what liberal studies program courses to take instead. Students not successfully completing the IAI/GECC will have their transfer courses reviewed on a course-by-course basis. This agreement is in effect for students entering an associate or baccalaureate degree-granting institution as first time freshmen in the summer of 1998 and thereafter.

The School for New Learning (SNL) is a unique college at DePaul with degree programs designed for adult learners. Beginning in Fall 2008-2009, policies were developed that help adult transfer students from Illinois community colleges who have completed the IAI/GECC package make a smooth transition into any of the SNL degree programs.  The SNL curriculum can be individualized or students can pursue joint degrees that include courses from SNL and other colleges at DePaul.  Learn about the SNL competence-based approach to learning that is particularly suited to adult learners seeking to complete their bachelor's degrees." Follow this link: SNL EVENTS to attend an SNL Undergraduate Information Session that will help you see how transferring into SNL with the IAI/GECC package can work for you.

Any other college-level courses that the adult transfer student has completed above and beyond the IAI GECC will be considered for transfer under normal SNL transfer course policies.

How do students get confirmation that the IAI/GECC has been completed?

On the Community Colleges pages you will find information about whether the IAI/General Education Core Curriculum is verified by each community college in Illinois.  A contact number for the student records office at the community college is listed to assist students get confirmation of the IAI/GECC completion.

• Some colleges confirm if the IAI/GECC has been completed with a letter or a stamp on the transcript, and they do it automatically. 
• Some colleges require that students request the confirmation when they want to transfer or when they are applying for graduation with an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree.
• Some community colleges leave the responsibility up to students, who need to check the catalog and use web tools to confirm that the IAI/GECC is completed. 
• Some colleges haven’t confirmed their practice so the student records office number is listed as a resource for students to call and find out the process for getting confirmation

1. Read about the IAI/GECC categories: Overview.
2. What colleges participate in the IAI agreement? See the list of participating institutions in Illinois.
3. Check the community college catalogs for IAI information:  Every community college in Illinois discusses how to complete the GECC in its catalog.
4. Get completion confirmed by your community college: Many Illinois community colleges confirm the completion of the IAI/GECC by marking it on their transcripts or providing a completion letter.  Find your Community College on the list and see if and how they will confirm the completion of the IAI/GECC.
5. Use the iGet tool in u.select Illinois (formerly CAS): There is a tool on the u.select Illinois web site, uselectIllinois, which allows students to enter classes into the system and create a report showing if the IAI/GECC is completed.
6. See what classes at Illinois colleges have been approved for the IAI/GECC: Not only can you take IAI/GECC courses at community colleges, you can take them at all IAI participating schools, including the four year schools.  Courses approved for all schools (including DePaul) can be found here: IAI/GECC Transfer Planning Worksheet.
7. Mention the completion of the IAI/GECC to your DePaul Advisor: It is not always obvious to advisors at DePaul that transfers have completed the IAI General Education Core Curriculum.  Transfer students are urged to bring it to the attention of their DePaul advisors. Transfers will either need to have completion confirmed by their community college (usually done with a letter or a stamp on the transcript,) or use the “iGet” tool in u.select Illinois to show that they have completed the GECC.

Questions and Answers about the IAI General Education Core Curriculum.

1. Can I transfer to DePaul if I have NOT completed the IAI/GECC?  Yes.  It is not required that students complete this curriculum before transfer.  Many students prepare for transfer by using DePaul Liberal Studies requirements as they choose their lower level courses.  The DePaul Transfer Course Lists show course equivalencies and indicate whether courses fulfill Liberal Studies Program requirements.
2. Can I complete the IAI/GECC at DePaul? Yes.  DePaul has courses approved for the IAI/GECC. Find them on this page: DePaul IAI courses.
3. Are the DePaul Liberal Studies Program requirements and the IAI General Education Core Curriculum very different? Sometime yes, sometimes no.  The DePaul Liberal Studies have differences depending on the major.
4. If I finished the IAI General Education Core Curriculum, can I change my mind at the time of transfer and follow the DePaul Liberal Studies after I transfer? Sure. Your DePaul advisor will help make this happen if that is needed.
5. So after I transfer to DePaul, I still need to take more Liberal Studies, why?  DePaul is a private, Catholic school that requires that all undergraduate students take courses in religion and philosophy.  The IAI/GECC doesn’t require these types of courses, though there might be some available at community colleges.  Also, DePaul is taught on a quarter system, which means that students complete more courses each academic year than in the semester model.  The extra courses are needed to have enough credits to graduate from DePaul. Finally, our Experiential Learning and Senior Year Capstone courses are unique to DePaul and are a common requirement for all undergraduates, including those who have completed the IAI.
6. If I transfer a completed IAI/GECC package, will I have junior status at DePaul?  Class standing in the traditional programs at DePaul is determined by how credits a student transfers in; while in the School For New Learning it is determined by how many competencies have been fulfilled prior to transfer.  Completion of the IAI/GECC means that 12-13 courses are completed, earning anywhere from 36-42 semester credits or 54-63 quarter credits.  Junior standing at DePaul is granted when students have earned 88 quarter/59 semester credits.  So if a student transfers after only completing the IAI/GECC, they will typically need to take 25-31 more credits before reaching junior standing.
7. Does transferring in an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree grant junior standing? Since junior standing is based on the number of units completed, an A.A. or an A.S. degree will include enough credits for junior standing.
8. If I complete an Associate of Arts or and Associate of Science, have I completed the IAI/GECC? Probably. The IAI/GECC is built in to all A.A. and A.S. degrees, BUT if the associates degrees include out-of-state courses, then the IAI/GECC might not be met.  The IAI/GECC is an Illinois agreement, and the inclusion of out-of-state courses in GE categories will mean that the IAI is not fulfilled. However, if the out-of state courses were not part of the General Education Core Curriculum, then the GECC might have been completed.  The community college will have to confirm whether the GECC has been met with IAI approved course work.
9. If I complete an Associate of Applied Science, have I completed the IAI/GECC? Probably not. The A.A.S. degrees usually include 3-6 general education courses and therefore the IAI/GECC is not completed.
10. If I combine out-of-state courses with IAI courses at a community college, what will happen when I transfer to DePaul?  DePaul will apply your courses to the DePaul Liberal Studies Program requirements.For students transferring into SNL, courses will be applied to competence requirements. This happens all the time, since many students transfer to DePaul with credit from more than one institution.