(110 ILCS 118/25)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2027)

Sec. 25. Graduates of nonaccredited private schools.

(a) As used in this Section, "nonaccredited secondary education" means a course of study at the secondary school level in a nonaccredited private school setting.

(b) Because the State of Illinois considers successful completion of a nonaccredited secondary education to be equivalent to graduation from a public high school, an institution, in complying with this Act and for all other purposes, must treat an applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate student who presents evidence that he or she has successfully completed a nonaccredited secondary education according to the same general standards, including specific standardized testing score requirements, as other applicants for undergraduate admission who have graduated from a public high school.

(c) An institution may not require an applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate student who presents evidence that he or she has successfully completed a nonaccredited secondary education to:

(1) obtain or submit evidence that the person has obtained a general educational development certificate, State of Illinois High School Diploma, or other credentials equivalent to a public high school degree; or

(2) take an examination or comply with any other application or admission requirement not generally applicable to other applicants for undergraduate admission to the institution.

(d) In complying with this Act or otherwise, when an institution in its undergraduate admission review process sorts or is required to sort applicants by high school graduating class rank, the institution shall place any applicant who presents evidence that the applicant has successfully completed a nonaccredited secondary education that does not include a high school graduating class ranking at the average high school graduating class rank of undergraduate applicants to the institution who have equivalent standardized testing scores as the applicant.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, with respect to admission into the institution or any program within the institution, with respect to scholarship programs, and with respect to other terms and conditions, and in complying with this Act, an institution may not treat an applicant who has successfully completed a nonaccredited secondary education that does not include a high school graduating class ranking differently than an applicant who graduated from an accredited public school.

(Source: P.A. 101-448, eff. 1-1-20; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23.)