Elevate

Elevate FAQs

Elevate Program Diagram

Elevate is a one-of-a-kind program at Illinois Tech that connects all students with hands-on experiences offered at the university and beyond. These real-world experiences enrich your life and your career readiness by exposing you to next-generation skills. Elevate experiences give you the twenty-first century skills to succeed as a professional—teamwork, creativity, design thinking, innovation, and problem-solving—regardless of your major or career path.

Elevate experiences include research projects, study abroad, internships and co-ops, competitions, and short courses. Instead of searching through various web pages for out-of-the-classroom opportunities, you can find all opportunities in one place—Elevate. For a list of experiences offered, visit our Elevate home page. To inquire about an Elevate program, email elevate@iit.edu.

Illinois Tech’s one-of-a-kind Elevate program ensures that you and your career success are our top priority. You’ll have guaranteed access to hands-on experiences and receive personalized mentorship. These opportunities begin even before you set foot on our campus, they are focused on helping you land a great job, and their value will extend throughout your lifetime. 

The opportunities that Elevate generates uniquely prepare all students for academic and career success. Therefore all Illinois Tech students—undergraduate and graduate, domestic and international, as well as transfer students—are invited to participate in Elevate experiences.

All students at Illinois Tech can take part in hands-on experiences through Elevate. The Elevate Promise specifically is available for newly admitted first-year undergraduate and graduate students starting fall 2022. Participating students must start in the fall term to be eligible.

Students are not required to participate in Elevate experiences, though utilizing these experiences will place you on the best pathway for success. Students who want to take part in Elevate experiences can work with their support team to identify what meets their goals.

Elevate experiences range from internships to study away, research projects, competitions, short courses, and other similar hands-on opportunities. These experiences give you twenty-first skills such as teamwork, design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship, creativity, leadership, problem-solving abilities, and other specialized skills that employers seek.

Your Elevate Portal is where you can find opportunities on and off campus. Here you will find internship and research postings, as well as communities on campus you can get involved in. The Elevate Portal also gives you direct access to your support team and much more.

Illinois Tech students can find the experience on elevate.iit.edu.

Students can contact elevate@iit.edu to verify if their experience is considered an Elevate experience.

You can start participating in Elevate experiences even before you enroll as an Illinois Tech student. The university’s Elevate College Prep pre-college summer programs and pre-college virtual internships allow you to begin right away. Once a student, you can participate throughout your time at Illinois Tech. 

A kick-off for Elevate will be held during Welcome Week; more details will be shared closer to the start of the academic year. Students interested in participating in Elevate can enter the program at a later date, though it is important to allow enough time for adequate academic planning and peer mentoring. Students should contact the Elevate program at elevate@iit.edu with any questions and to begin participation.

Peer mentors are available to all students, and they are selected and trained to support you! Peer mentors work with you directly and connect you with the experiences you want and help build a vision at Illinois Tech based on your goals. They also will connect you with academic advisers and career coaches—everyone working together as a team to help you map out your personalized Elevate Your Future plan for success.

Connect with your peer mentor and visit the Elevate Portal to learn more and begin planning Elevate experiences.