By Staff Writer Shreya Narayan

College of DuPage (COD) has requested permission from the state of Illinois to offer four-year degree programs, said COD coordinator of admissions and outreach Julie Marlapt.

According to state law, Illinois does not allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, Marlapt said. However, 22 other states in the nation allow community colleges to do so. According to Malapt, COD hopes expanding to offer some four-year degree programs will provide a more affordable option for students.

“[COD has] amazing facilities that students have the ability to learn from that many four-year schools do not have,” Marlapt said. “Since we already have the facilities, we would be able to provide an affordability-component to Illinois students. It would be a huge cost-saving program for COD students.”

Currently, COD offers three different degree options, Marlapt said. Most students opt for an associate degree, a two-year degree program for full-time students. The majority will later transfer to another university to earn their bachelor’s.

As of now, COD’s staff is undecided as to which majors will be included in the bachelor’s program, said Marlapt.

“We would only want to offer degrees for programming that most other four-year schools do not offer, specifically in the applied science degrees,” Marlapt said.

Introducing four-year programs at COD will provide a more affordable option for students.

Andy Sun, a COD sophomore, said he would have an interest in the program.

“COD is much cheaper than other colleges,” Sun said. “Although this change won’t be offered for my major, I would definitely be interested in staying at COD because of the reduced cost factor.”

According to NNHS college career center assistant Carol Krashen, over 100 NNHS students choose to attend COD each year.

“This option is great for students that are completely unsure of what area they want to go into. It will give them more time to explore their options,” Krashen said.

Most credits earned at COD are transferrable to other universities, Krashen said.

Krashen said COD also offers certificate and 3+1 bachelor’s degrees. A certificate consists of up to two years’ study in a specific field and allows students to transition directly into the workforce. However, the 3+1 bachelor’s program requires three years at COD, and an additional year at one of five of COD’s partner universities.