Carl Sandburg College students have a new option to get a bachelor’s degree remotely at a lower cost in 10 academic programs.
Carl Sandburg College and Southern Illinois University Carbondale have recently signed an agreement for the Saluki Step Ahead program, giving qualified community college students the option to earn their degrees from a doctoral research university.
Established in 2021, the program enables students who graduate with an associate degree from partnering community colleges to complete their SIU bachelor’s degrees online in several different areas, including accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology and radiologic sciences.
“This partnership with Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a life-changing opportunity for our students who want to continue on with their education but may not have the ability to uproot from their current locations,” Sandburg President Dr. Seamus Reilly said. “Sandburg is thrilled to collaborate with SIU Carbondale to make this agreement a reality.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with Carl Sandburg College to provide another option for place-bound students in this region,” SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane said. “If these students cannot come to Carbondale to complete their education, we will bring the experience and resources of a doctoral research university to them.”
The agreement between the two schools marks the 30th Saluki Step Ahead pact with community colleges in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas so far.
Students in the program pay the community college rate for their first two years and, in the third and fourth years, they receive an annual $4,000 scholarship.
The goal is to allow them to earn their degree for under $25,000.
