IACAC Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling

In a very uncertain and challenging time to work in education, today was a good day. Grateful to my students and friends who give me hope and a reminder to keep fighting the good fight, even in small ways. Thanks to these rock stars for helping me teach these future school counselors about advocacy in action! Amy Thompson (she/her) Alejandro Campos Evan Wilson Annette Braden Steve Landgraf Kato Gupta

Welcoming community colleges into the membership is a significant development for Common App. This article does a great job outlining the benefits for both students and community collleges.

Common App is proud to partner with the state of Illinois and its One Click College Admit program to expand access to higher education for students across the state. Through this initiative, Illinois high school seniors who meet GPA thresholds will receive direct admissions offers to participating public universities. Students simply need to create a Common App account, include their GPA and Illinois address, and let the offers come to them! This partnership is part of Common App’s ongoing commitment to simplify the college admissions process and connect students to life-changing opportunities. Participating universities include: Chicago State University Eastern Illinois University Governors State University Northeastern Illinois University Northern Illinois University Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Western Illinois University Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dHdnFbn5

President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has ordered a temporary pause on “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.” https://ow.ly/n7Ky50UOQWU However, the U.S. Department of Education has confirmed that “Title IV, HEA funds that are provided to individual students, such as Federal Pell Grants and Direct Loans, are not impacted” by the OMB guidance. https://lnkd.in/eFZD-8vg NACAC is monitoring the situation for updates on affected programs.

Don't miss out on the FUN this summer! Register today! https://lnkd.in/g-jjeS4A

Register for the Transfer Summit today! https://lnkd.in/gc2AFe3i

I anticipate we'll continue to hear about enrollment of men in colleges and universities. I generally don't feel too bad for men, given that, well, life seems to be much better for us than for women. But let's take a look anyway, shall we? Should we worry about men? https://lnkd.in/gAXTUSpe

🎓 As we near the end of this #FAFSA Week of Action, a reminder that our #DoTheFAFSA campaign provides free social media posts in both English & Spanish which you can use to promote FAFSA completion. https://lnkd.in/gDW2VaMv

College advisors & counselors often find themselves puzzled when bright & talented students choose not to pursue specific postsecondary pathways, or when their behaviors seem to contradict their expressed goals of attending college. https://bit.ly/3WfEieg

The January Deadline Update is here! 📊 This season, Common App continues to see significant growth in college applications. Some key highlights from our latest report: 1,228,016 first-year applicants have applied to 863 returning member colleges—up 5% from last year. Applications to returning members have increased by 7%, with students submitting an average of 5.47 applications each. First-generation applicants grew by 14%, while applicants from low-income zip codes increased by 9%. Latinx (+13%) and Black/African American (+12%) applicants are among the fastest-growing groups. Read the full report to explore the trends shaping this year’s college application season: https://lnkd.in/g_aRpZWW