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Advising Tips

Educational Success & Academic Advising

  • Advisors help you explore educational goals, options, and barriers.
  • Intervene if you are on academic probation or restriction.
  • Discuss success strategies for college.
  • Help you define your choice of careers and how that relates to specific majors and degrees.

Getting students the information they need to be successful in their personal and professional development is the number one goal of academic advisors at ECC.

Academic Advising/Transfer Assistance

No matter where you are in life or school, ECC academic advisors help you design an educational plan for any major, transfer institution, or course of study that leads to graduation. They guide you in making academic decisions, considering your personal goals and career aspirations. 

Preparing for your appointment:

Look at your top schools' websites and their available information about your program of choice. Bring any information about course requirements with you to your advising appointment. These specific transfer school majors, transfer information, and course equivalencies assist with developing your personal "ed plan." Create your TRANSFEROLOGY account to view how your ECC courses transfer to other colleges and universities by visiting transferology.com

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Transfer Services

Ensure your official transcripts are on file with Admissions and that you have submitted a Request For Evaluation Form to the Records office. Transcript Evaluation Request Form. Transcript evaluations may take up to two weeks to process, so scheduling your advising appointment 2-3 weeks after submitting your evaluation request is best.

Transferring to ECC from another college? Here’s what you need to do. 

  1. Make sure we have your correct program of study on file. Contact registration@elgin.edu to make any updates.
  2. Submit official transcripts from each institution you’ve attended to admissions@elgin.edu.
  3. Complete the Transcript Evaluation Request Form.
  4. Create an educational plan with the help of your ECC advisor.
  5. If you’re transferring credit from an institution in another country, see Evaluation of College Credit Earned Outside the US.

Meeting with your academic advisor to ensure the course you add fits your overall education plan would be best. For best results, make sure you've met your course prerequisites. See the ECC Catalog for details about prerequisites. 

  1. Discuss your options with your instructor.
  2. Visit Financial Aid (Building B, Room B156) to assess the impact on your aid.
  3. Stop by Student Accounts (Building B, Room B151) or email studentaccounts@elgin.edu to confirm refund eligibility or payment due date.
  4. Meet with your academic advisor (Building B, Room B120) to review the implications of your academic plan and career goals.

Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to update your education plan. Are you undecided about your major? Let us help you explore majors and careers in the office of Career Development Services. Call 847-214-7390, or current students can schedule via the accessECC portal.

Make sure you complete steps 1-4 of the Success Plan form. You can find the form about your academic standing attached to the email you received in your student account. 

Satisfactory academic progress (Good Standing) is defined as the attainment of a 2.0 SOAP CUMULATIVE (CUM) Grade Point Average (GPA) or higher. SOAP CUM GPA is based on all credit hours attempted at ECC, including developmental classes (does not include coursework transferred to ECC).

Visit the graduation page for information on procedures and deadlines before meeting with your academic advisor to verify that you have met all program requirements. You must apply whether or not you plan to participate in the ceremony. There is no application deadline for HSE. 

  1. Complete all necessary placement testing for your program of study.
  2. While not mandatory, having a clear idea of your desired transfer institution and program of study can be beneficial.
  3. Ensure you know your major and intended transfer institution to facilitate a smooth transfer process.
  4. Create your TRANSFEROLOGY account to explore how your ECC courses transfer to other colleges and universities at transferology.com.

You should meet with your academic advisor each semester before registering – especially if you have changed your major or transfer school. When planning for future semesters, you are encouraged to schedule an appointment with your advisor during the less busy months of the year (February, March, September, and October). 

Please schedule your 30-minute appointment online via the accessECC Student Portal (in the ECC Apps section) or by calling 847-214-7390. 

Run a program evaluation in the portal using the steps below. When meeting with your advisor to plan courses, list courses you would like to take from the options given for your remaining requirements and bring that list with you to your appointment.

To run an evaluation:

  1. Go to the AccessECC portal
  2. Select 'Students' under the 'Self Service' tab
  3. Select 'Academic Planning and Registration'
  4. Select 'View Your Progress'

Either evaluate your existing program or see how close you are to completing another program by selecting 'View a New Program.'

ECC requires that students make satisfactory progress toward achieving their educational goals. Satisfactory academic progress (good standing) is the attainment of a 2.0 SOAP CUMULATIVE Grade Point Average. SOAP CUM GPA is based on all credit hours attempted at ECC, including developmental classes (does not include coursework transferred to ECC). SOAP GPA is calculated, and Academic Standing is determined after all grades are entered at the end of each semester.

Please view the Standards of Academic Progress Intervention page if your academic standing requires you to complete an intervention before registration.

Contact

Academic & Transfer Advising

Building B, Room B120
847-214-7390
advising@elgin.edu

Hours
Monday through Thursday: 8 am to 7 pm
Friday: 8 am to 4 pm