CAREER Cooperative Program

Outgoing Cooperative Agreements

Are you a resident of Prairie State College District #515 hoping to pursue an AAS degree or certificate that PSC does not offer? Prairie State College participates in the Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the Expansion of Educational Resources (CAREER) Cooperative with the community colleges listed below. If you live in our district and PSC does not offer a particular AAS degree or certificate program that you want to pursue, you may apply for a Cooperative Agreement to potentially enroll at another participating college at the in-district tuition rate.

Here are some factors we consider when determining your eligibility for a cooperative agreement:

Eligible Courses/Programs: Cooperative agreements are granted at the discretion of PSC and they will not be granted for programs or certificates that are comparable to those that we offer. Only approved AAS programs and certificates are eligible for cooperative agreements; programs that are generally considered to be baccalaureate-oriented (AA, AS, AFA) are not eligible. Cooperative agreements cannot be issued for individual courses, even if the course you need is not offered at PSC in your preferred semester or on your preferred day/time. Repeated courses are also not covered under these agreements.

General Education/Prerequisite Course Requirements: A cooperative agreement covers only program-specific courses. If your desired program or certificate requires any general education courses or prerequisites, or if your program courses themselves have prerequisites, you would be required to complete all of these gen ed and/or prerequisite courses at PSC with a 2.0 GPA or better before a cooperative agreement could be issued. Developmental coursework (courses below 100 level) also must be completed at PSC. Depending on the nature of your program’s prerequisites, after applying for a cooperative agreement, you may be asked to complete these additional steps to determine whether you have met some prerequisites:

Complete the Prairie State College Admissions Application.
Submit an official copy of high school transcripts (or GED diploma) to the Enrollment Services Office at Prairie State College. If applicable, submit official transcripts from all other colleges or universities attended.
Complete the placement testing process at Prairie State College. Contact the Academic Advising Center for information on placement testing or call (708) 709-3506.
If the placement test indicates the need for developmental coursework (courses such as ENG 099 or MATH 085 to 099), the appropriate coursework must be completed at Prairie State College before any cooperative agreement will be issued.

GPA Requirement: A 2.0 grade point average is required in order to be eligible for a cooperative agreement or renewal of your existing cooperative agreement. You will be required to provide current transcripts each time you apply to renew your cooperative.

Acceptance Requirement: If you are seeking to pursue a selective admissions program at another college, you will need to provide proof of your acceptance to the program (an acceptance letter) when you apply for a cooperative agreement. Approved cooperative agreements are not issued until you have an acceptance letter from your desired program.

Residency Requirements: To qualify for a cooperative agreement, you must be a permanent resident of PSC District #515. You are eligible for a cooperative agreement after you have lived in the district for at least 30 days and provide proof of your address, such as an Illinois Driver’s License, State ID, or utility bill. Each time you apply to renew your cooperative agreement, you will be asked to provide current proof of your address.

Additional Requirements: You must be in good financial standing at PSC to be considered for a cooperative agreement. If you have any business holds, you will need to address those before a cooperative agreement can be issued.

Important to know: The in-district rate of tuition will apply only to coursework for the currently approved program of study between the cooperative colleges and as noted on the cooperative agreement. Courses taken which are not specifically approved under the cooperative agreement will not be covered at the in-district rate. If you take courses that are not approved, you will be held responsible for paying the entire out-of-district tuition for those courses. Students who change to programs of study outside of their existing agreement will be billed at out-of-district tuition rates for all course work. No cooperative agreements will be approved retroactively.

Timeline for Application/Approval: We recommend that you submit your cooperative agreement application at least 30 days before the beginning of the semester. The application process may take up to two weeks. Also, depending upon your specific program, you may need to complete the admissions and placement testing process as described above, and that can add additional time before we can determine your eligibility.

We begin issuing coops for the upcoming semester midway through the immediately preceding semester (example: We begin issuing coops for spring semesters in mid-October; we begin issuing coops for summer and fall semesters in mid-March). However, if you are currently enrolled in courses, we may ask you to complete the current term before your final approved coop can be issued.

In most cases, a cooperative agreement is valid for one year. When it expires, you can apply for a renewal.

Incoming Cooperative Agreements

Are you a resident of another community college district hoping to pursue an AAS or certificate at Prairie State? If your local Illinois community college district does not offer a program that is offered by PSC, you may be eligible to receive a cooperative agreement from your district’s community college. You must obtain a cooperative agreement form from your local community college. Check your local community college’s website for information about cooperative agreements and to learn how to apply there. If you are approved by your local community college, you can then present your signed cooperative agreement form to PSC at registration and you will be billed at PSC’s in-district rates.

Community Colleges in the CAREER Cooperative Program

AAS and certificate programs at any of these colleges may be eligible for a cooperative agreement from PSC. Likewise, if you live in the district of any of these colleges, you may be able to receive a cooperative agreement from your college to attend certain AAS or certificate programs at PSC.

Black Hawk College
Carl Sandburg College
Danville Community College
Elgin Community College
Heartland Community College
Highland Community College
Illinois Central College
Illinois Valley Community College
John Wood Community College
Joliet Junior College
Kankakee Community College
Kaskaskia College
Kishwaukee College
Lake Land College
Lewis and Clark Community College
Lincoln Land Community College
McHenry County College
Moraine Valley Community College
Morton College
Prairie State College
Rend Lake College
Richland Community College
Rock Valley College
Sauk Valley Community College
South Suburban College
Southwestern Illinois College
Spoon River College
Waubonsee Community College

Apply for a Cooperative Agreement

For more information about specific programs at other colleges, contact the college where the program is offered. For in-district students, to begin the application process for a Cooperative Agreement, please read over the “Outgoing Cooperative Agreements” section above and then fill out this form completely. For out-of-district students, please follow the steps in the “Incoming Cooperative Agreements” section above.