Education (Higher Education)

Creates the Public University Direct Admission Program Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the State Board of Education, shall establish and administer a direct admission program. Requires each public university in the direct admission program to identify and provide its grade point average standards for general admission for first time admission and for transfer students to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission by March 1 of each year. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall use data collected from school districts to determine which students meet the standards for general admission and provide the data to the Board of Higher Education. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the State Board of Education, shall develop, in consultation with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a preselection outreach campaign to encourage qualifying State high school juniors and seniors to apply to the University of Illinois at Chicago or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Requires the Board of Higher Education to submit a report on the direct admission program and the preselection outreach campaign to the Governor and General Assembly by August 1, 2029 and each August 1 thereafter. Amends the School Code. Requires a school board to provide access to high school student directory information and each student's email address and grade point average to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and each public institution of higher education for the purpose of informing students of educational and career opportunities.

Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that the Board of Trustees shall distribute the lump sum appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to each campus of the university in a given fiscal year on a per-student basis based on the previous academic year's enrollment at that campus, as reported to the Board of Higher Education.

Creates the Historical Cost of Attendance Disclosure Act. Requires each public or private college or university to post its cost of attendance on its website for each of the 10 academic years immediately preceding the effective date of the Act and for every academic year thereafter. Requires the posted cost of attendance to delineate which expenses are included in the Internal Revenue Service's Form 1098-T and which expenses are not included in Form 1098-T.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that any person who has served at least one year in the Army Reserves and who possesses all necessary entrance requirements shall, upon application and proper proof, be awarded a grant to the State-controlled university or community college of his or her choice, consisting of exemption from tuition and fees for not more than the equivalent of 4 years of full-time enrollment in relation to his or her course of study at that State-controlled university or community college while he or she is a member of the Army Reserves. Renames the National Guard and Naval Militia Grant Fund to the National Guard, Naval Militia, and Army Reserves Grant Fund. Makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act.

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Changes the name of the "College Savings Pool" to the "College, Secondary, and Elementary Education Savings Pool". In provisions relating to the College, Secondary, and Elementary Education Savings Pool established by the State Treasurer pursuant to Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, provides that an "eligible educational institution" includes elementary or secondary public, private, or religious schools and "qualified expenses" include expenses, up to $10,000 per taxable year, for tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school. Amends the Deposit of State Moneys Act, Illinois Income Tax Act, the Code of Civil Procedure, and the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Prohibits a school from threatening to disclose the actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status of an employee, a student, or a person associated with an employee or student to an external party; knowingly disclosing, without consent, anything related to the perceived citizenship or immigration status of an employee, a student, or a person associated with an employee or student to an external party if the school does not have direct knowledge of the employee's, student's, or associated person's actual citizenship or immigration status; knowingly disclosing, without consent, anything related to the actual citizenship or immigration status of an employee, a student, or a person associated with an employee or student to any other person or nongovernmental entity if the school has direct knowledge of the employee's, student's, or associated person's actual citizenship or immigration status; or designating immigration status, citizenship, place of birth, nationality, or national origin as directory information. Requires a school to develop procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement agents attempting to enter a school's campus by January 1, 2026. Requires a school to provide information on its website about who employees and students should contact if a law enforcement agent seeks to enter the school campus, enters the school campus, or engages in nonconsensual interactions with members of the school community by January 1, 2026. Prohibits a school from impeding students or employees from offering, attending, or participating in training on constitutional rights and immigration-related guidance. Allows aggrieved parties to bring a civil lawsuit. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public institution of higher education with student health services shall provide enrolled students with access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe contraception. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, if the public institution of higher education's student health services includes a pharmacy, the pharmacy on campus shall dispense contraception to enrolled students who wish to fill their prescriptions at the university pharmacy. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public institution of higher education with student health services shall provide enrolled students with access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe medication abortion. Provides that a public institution of higher education that dispenses medication abortion from the university pharmacy shall enter into a referral agreement with a tertiary care facility with obstetrics and gynecological services in the event of complication from medication abortion or suspected complicated pregnancy prior to dispensing medication abortion. Requires each public institution of higher education to report annually to the Board of Higher Education that policies under the provisions have been adopted. Requires the Board to post to its website annually each public institution of higher education's compliance with the policies under the provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that a taxpayer who may claim a qualifying student as a dependent is allowed a credit of up to $2,000 for qualified tuition and fee expenses paid by the taxpayer. Provides that the term qualifying student means a person who (i) is a resident of the State, (ii) is under the age of 24 at the close of the school year for which a credit is sought, and (iii) during the school year for which a credit is sought, is a full-time student enrolled in a program at a qualifying college or university. Effective immediately.

Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that if a student resides with a parent in the State and that parent is an active military member at the time the student enrolls, registers, or submits an enrollment deposit to a public institution of higher education in the State, the student shall be guaranteed the in-State tuition rate for the entirety of the student's enrollment at that public institution of higher education regardless of whether the parent is later reassigned to military service that relocates the parent outside of the State.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any other law, a student who otherwise qualifies for any grant or scholarship offered under this Act, by any other State law, or by a unit of local government shall not be denied the award of the grant or scholarship based solely on the student's status as a noncitizen. Effective immediately.