New Engineering Program Offers City Colleges of Chicago Students Guaranteed Admission, $25,000 Scholarship to Illinois Tech

Illinois Institute of Technology and Wilbur Wright College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, have partnered to create a new guaranteed admission program that ensures that Wright College students can continue their pursuit of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering at Illinois Tech’s Armour College of Engineering.

The new Illinois Tech (IIT) - Wright Engineering program aims to help City Colleges students easily transition into Illinois Tech’s nationally ranked engineering program by providing rigorous preparation, mentorship and financial rewards.

The highly selective program offers guaranteed admission and a $25,000 scholarship per year for Wright students to attend Illinois Tech’s Armour College of Engineering.

“This is not a regular transfer program,” said Natacha DePaola, dean of Illinois Tech’s Armour College of Engineering. “Admitted students will be part of our Illinois Tech student body from day one, participating in curricular and extracurricular activities on our campus while pursuing their studies at Wright. Working closely with the City Colleges of Chicago system, we will ensure that these students are prepared to be successful at IIT earning their BS in Engineering with the option to complete an Illinois Tech master’s degree. At Illinois Tech’s Armour College of Engineering, we strive to be the main partner for City Colleges in engineering and aspire to be the No. 1 choice for the young minds of Chicago interested in engineering.”

Students begin the process by applying to Wright College and then the engineering partnership program. Once accepted, they are on the guaranteed admission track to Illinois Tech, and can transfer provided they complete their coursework at Wright College with a successful grade point average. Prior to transferring, Wright students can take classes at Illinois Tech for a discounted rate of $100 per credit hour. Overall, students can expect to save about 50 percent of the cost of their total education.

While at Wright College, students will take general education and engineering technical courses—physics, math, chemistry and computer science. In order to continue in the program and transfer to IIT, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA with As and Bs in technical courses while at Wright College.

The program offers dual advising from admission counselors and career services, as well as near-peer, academic and faculty mentoring at both Wright College and Illinois Tech.

“This program is a true game changer—it is intentionally designed for students to save a significant amount of money while they prepare to transfer to Illinois Tech,” said Doris Espiritu, director of Wright’s engineering program. “Wright College is committed to transferring students who can handle a rigorous academic load and be successful at Illinois Tech. We are recruiting great students, and if a student is not yet academically ready for engineering, we have programs like the National Science Foundation-funded Building Bridges into Engineering and Computer Science to help students get accepted into the IIT-Wright Engineering program.”

Students in the program will complete an engineering degree from Illinois Tech, a nationally ranked research university recognized for hands-on learning and ranked No. 1 in Illinois for the mid-career earnings of its graduates, according to the 2018 PayScale report.

To learn more and start the application process, visit ccc.edu/engineering. Also, learn more at the next information session—November 14 at Wright College at 6pm.

To celebrate the program’s launch, a ceremonial MOU signing event was held Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at Illinois Tech’s John T. Rettaliata Engineering Center.

About Illinois Institute of Technology

Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university, located in Chicago, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.