ROCKFORD, IL – Here’s some great news for current and future Rock Valley College (RVC) students: The Rockford Promise Program at Northern Illinois University will open next fall to qualifying RVC transfers.

To qualify, students must be Rockford Promise Scholars at RVC who earn their associate’s degree with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better, and they must enroll at NIU as full-time students.

Full eligibility requirements are listed on the NIU and RVC websites. The arrangement allows for a seamless and tuition-free transition from Rockford’s only area community college to the region’s only major research university. It is being made possible through a new partnership between NIU, RVC and the
Rockford Promise organization. Currently, Rockford Promise is providing full-tuition scholarships to both RVC and NIU. But the nationally-recognized program at NIU was previously open only to college freshmen who were Rockford residents and new graduates of Rockford public high schools with a 3.0 GPA or better. (Full eligibility requirements are available on the NIU website.)

“RVC is proud to partner once again with Rockford Promise and NIU to create a new pathway option for our students to complete a bachelor’s degree. Access is one of our strategic pillars, and this agreement is another important way to increase access, affordability, and success for Rockford Promise Scholars who begin their post- secondary journey at RVC,” RVC President and Chief Executive Officer Howard Spearman said.

RVC students who qualify to take advantage of the NIU program should complete an NIU application for admission and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid by the appropriate deadlines.

“We are delighted to build on the success of the Rockford Promise Program by expanding access to include qualified RVC transfer students. We want more students to be able to take advantage of the program and the impactful experiences that come with earning a life-changing NIU degree,” NIU President Lisa C. Freeman said. “We’re also thrilled to increase the scope and success of our collaboration with trusted partners at RVC and the Rockford Promise organization.” NIU and RVC notably also collaborate on engineering degree-completion programs. NIU began its partnership with the Rockford Promise organization in 2021. That fall, the university welcomed its first cohort of freshman Rockford Promise Scholars. The program now has more than 340 scholars enrolled at NIU.

“This new partnership with NIU and RVC further demonstrates our commitment to enriching the Rockford community through educational attainment and providing a powerful economic incentive for residents and businesses to locate to the Rockford region,” said Kaylene Groh, executive director of the Rockford Promise organization. At the heart of the partnership are shared values, added Sol Jensen, NIU’s vice
president of enrollment management, marketing and communications.

“NIU, RVC and Rockford Promise work well together because we have similar values that are centered around students and community,” Jensen said. “We know that college students, for a wide variety of reasons, take different paths to degree attainment and career development, and we’re here to help them get there. We want to meet students wherever they are along their own unique pathways.”

Interested scholars should contact Lamis Diab at RVC L.Diab@RockValleyCollege.edu and your Rockford Promise Academic Mentor Coordinator.