Joliet Junior College will offer free prep courses for graduate school, licensing tests

Will County — Joliet Junior College is among the public colleges and universities in Illinois which will now be able to provide free test preparation courses for students looking to take professional licensing and graduate-level admissions exams.

The school is one of five community colleges included in the Prepare for Illinois' Future Program, a commitment by the state, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and education company Kaplan to provide the free test prep courses.

The program is also available at all of Illinois' public universities.

According to a press release put out by the office of State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, the program will enable students to access Kaplan’s preparation classes for exams include the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, NCLEX-RN, Illinois State Bar Exam, and the real estate and securities exam, among others.

Certificate courses will also be available including project management and cybersecurity certifications, and professional and academic skills development courses.

“I supported this test and licensure prep program – which is funded with $10 million in the state budget – because it makes JJC more attractive to employers and helps the college advance their education and graduate school possibilities,” Loughran Cappel said in the release.

According to Loughran Cappel’s office the program “aims to boost in-state enrollment at public universities, create career pathways for students from underserved urban and rural communities, and address the state’s critical shortages for essential professions, ultimately helping to reduce the shortages in the Illinois workforce, including doctors and nurses.”

Loughran Cappel, who is chair of the Senate Education Committee, as well as State Representatives Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, and Larry Walsh, D-Elwood, supported the approval of the program and worked to bring it to Joliet Junior College.

“Many students are forgoing job and educational opportunities because families are struggling financially,” Manley said in the release. “This program is a game-changer for our JJC students who can take classes that will help them excel.”

“We have a shortage of people in skilled professions such as nursing, medicine and engineering,” Walsh added. “Many students simply cannot afford to take prep classes for graduate school so they don’t take key entrance examinations for graduate schools and skilled professions.”

According to Loughran Cappel’s office, the five community colleges piloting the program alongside the 12 public four-year universities were chosen to “reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of the state.”

Kaplan has already begun working with the 17 schools in the program to make the courses accessible for students.