Highland has established several specific transfer and reciprocity agreements with two- and four-year colleges and universities throughout the region. These agreements further expand access to academic majors and degrees for students in HCC’s district.
Highland’s administration, faculty, transfer coordinator and advisors are continuously working collaboratively with other colleges and universities to help align our courses with their general education and degree-specific curricula so that our students’ transfer experience and access to a wide variety of majors is as smooth as possible.
Cooperative and Reciprocity Agreements
The goal of these agreements is to allow our residents to have access to programs that Highland does not currently offer at the lower in-district tuition rate. In turn, students from other college districts have access to degree programs that HCC offers – given that their college district doesn’t offer the degree or certificate.
 | Out-of-District Illinois Public Community College Cooperative Agreements The Illinois Public Community College Act allows students who wish to complete a program not offered in their home community college district to pay in-district tuition rates at another Illinois community college offering the degree or certificate. Download an application for the program. |
 | Blackhawk Technical College Reciprocity Agreement This agreements allows HCC students to access programs offered at BTC that are not available at Highland. Students in BTC's region can access programs at HCC that are not available in their home district. Students participating in these programs will not be required to pay out-of-district tuition and will receive the same priority for admission as in-district students. Browse the programs offered. |
 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Reciprocity Agreement This agreements allows HCC students to access programs offered at SWTC that are not available at Highland. Students in SWTC's region can access programs at HCC not available in their home district. Students participating in these programs will not be required to pay out-of-district tuition and will receive the same priority for admission as in-district students. Browse the programs offered. |
General Transfer
Highland’s courses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and are transferable to other two- and four-year institutions. HCC has a number of transfer equivalency guides with public and private four-year institutions in the region so that you can see exactly how Highland credits are equivalent to the transfer institution’s courses. Browse all general transfer information.
Major Specific Transfer Agreements
 | Columbia College of Missouri - Freeport has been located on the HCC campus since 1996, offering bachelor's degrees in a wide-range of majors. Students benefit from having a Columbia administrator and advisor on-site. Browse the most recent transfer course equivalency guide. |
 | This agreement with Northern Illinois University will make it easier for HCC automotive technology and wind turbine technician students and graduates to earn a Bachelor of Science in Technology degree from NIU without leaving the region. |
 | Students interested in pursuing a four-year degree in broadcasting now have a direct path to completing their Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting at Western Illinois University. Students complete an AA degree with an emphasis in Mass Communication, then transfer to WIU for their final two years to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting with a choice of emphasis in sports broadcasting, news/performance or production. |
 | HCC students may dually enroll at HCC and WIU, taking one course through WIU to complement their Highland course schedule in a range of majors. HCC and WIU will collaborate to provide advising and financial aid services for students under the Linkages partnership. The agreement is designed for the student who declares WIU as their baccalaureate-degree seeking institution. |
 | This agreement makes way for Olivet Nazarene University to offer an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program on the Highland campus. Classes are held once a week in the evening and online with the core program completed in 21 months. Courses are also offered online. |
 | This transfer agreement between HCC and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) states that Highland students completing prescribed transfer-degree programs at HCC will be admitted to UIUC College of ACES at junior-level status in a relevant field of study. Find out more about U of I Aces. |
WIU Honors Program Agreement
According to the agreement, all honors coursework at HCC will transfer hour-for-hour toward the lower division honors requirements in the Centennial Honors College at WIU. Ten hours of transferred honors coursework from HCC are sufficient to complete the course requirements to graduate as a lower division honors scholar at WIU. To graduate as a lower division Honors Scholar at WIU, a student must also have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher at WIU upon graduation. Browse WIU’s Centennial Honors College website.
Questions or More Information
For more information about these agreements and how they may benefit you, contact Admissions and Records at 815.599.3414 or admissions@highland.edu.