DDP FAQs

• All participating community colleges have a DDP Transfer Specialist or another GSU contact person who can assist students with questions.  Transfer Specialists' contact information and campus schedules are available on each community college's page to the left.  On that web page, you will also find the DDP Enrollment Form and other helpful information. 
    
• For general inquiries feel free to e-mail us at dualdegree@govst.edu or call the Director of the Dual Degree Program at 708-534-4494. 

You are eligible for the Dual Degree Program if you are a full-time student at your community college, have successfully completed a minimum of 12 and maximum of 45 credit hours and are in good academic standing. Selective admission programs, such as nursing, art and social work, have special provisions. Please see your DDP Transfer Specialist to discuss your options.

The best time to apply for the DDP program is during your second semester at the community college after completing a minimum of 12 credit hours but no more than 45 credit hours. This will maximize your benefits from the DDP program.  For selective programs, see your DDP Transfer Specialist.

It's easy to enroll in the DDP and it's free! You can get the form from either your community college or GSU's website. Click on your community college's name on the menu to the left, and there you will find the DDP Enrollment Form for your specific campus!

Absolutely. You have everything to gain—and absolutely nothing to lose—by enrolling in the DDP. Your enrollment in the DDP will not limit your transfer options in any way. You are not obligated to GSU by participating in the DDP. If you do decide to transfer to GSU, you will have many advantages that won’t be available to non-DDP students. Remember, the DDP will provide you with an excellent opportunity to lock-in the GSU tuition rate, but it does not carry any obligation for you to transfer to GSU.

If you enroll in the Dual Degree Program, complete your associate degree at the community college and transfer to GSU, you will be able to take advantage of a number of program benefits, including the following:

• Locked-in tuition rate effective the semester you join the Dual Degree Program
• Opportunity to compete for the GSU Promise Scholarship  
• Opportunity to compete for the DDP Honors Scholarship    
• Personalized advising relationship with a GSU Transfer Specialist
• ...and more!

We guarantee that you will be admitted to GSU if you:

• Maintain the standards associated with participation in the Dual Degree Program
• Apply for admission to GSU (using the application for admission – a form separate from your application for the DDP)

Yes! If you are enrolled in the DDP, you will be guaranteed admission to GSU after completing the admission’s application to GSU and meeting requirements for both the DDP and your selected major. All DDP students are guaranteed admission to GSU; nursing, social work, and art are examples of majors with selective admissions. 

The Governors State University DDP will allow you to “lock in” the GSU tuition rate from the date you are accepted in the DDP. Many four-year universities have guaranteed tuition plans, but don’t allow community college transfer students to participate in that opportunity. DDP students who will transfer to GSU will have two academic years of locked-in GSU-DDP tuition rate to complete their undergraduate degree.

The GSU Promise Scholarship is a competitive scholarship available to DDP students. The scholarship is open to Governors State University Dual Degree Program students who meet the criteria as specified on the scholarship application. Scholarship awards cover the full cost of tuition, fees, and books that are not covered by the student's PELL and MAP award grants. The scholarship is awarded for a maximum of four (4) consecutive semesters (excluding summer).

Other transfer scholarships are available for student at GSU, including: 

• DDP Honors Scholarship (exclusive to DDP students)
• AIM HIGH Scholarship
• GSU Foundation Scholarships
• Additional external scholarships

You will have advisors at both your community college and GSU who will assist you with transfer advice, course selection, and personalized academic planning to complete both your associate and bachelor's degrees in a minimum number of terms. We want to be sure you are on the right track, so working with your transfer specialist is a requirement of the DDP.

A DDP Transfer Specialist is a professional staff member who works for Governors State University and is specially prepared to help community college students make a successful transition to a four year college or university. There is a Transfer Specialist assigned to all DDP partner community colleges. The DDP Transfer Specialist works collaboratively with your community college to help with your transition to a four year school.

The DDP is designed to enable students to complete both an associate and bachelor's degree within four years. Depending on the DDP enrollment term, you will have from two to five academic semesters (plus summers) to complete your associate degree at your community college.

The semester immediately after you graduate with your associate degree, you will start courses at GSU and you will have four more semesters (plus summers) to complete your bachelor’s degree. (Tuition lock expires at the end of your fourth semester.)

No. Full-time students in all degree programs—including A.A.S. degrees—are eligible to enroll in the DDP.  Many universities do not accept the A.A.S. degree in transfer, but GSU has a number of degree programs that are specifically designed for A.A.S. students who want to complete their bachelor’s degree. Here is more information about bachelor’s degree programs at GSU!

Yes. To be in the DDP, you need to enroll during your second semester in your selective program. Your DDP Transfer Specialist can help you understand this issue and how it applies to you.

Studies show that students who complete an associate degree before transferring are more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree, and they do so in a shorter period of time. If you complete an A.A. or A.S., you will also have completed the General Education Core Curriculum, which means you won’t have to redo your general education requirements when you transfer to any Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) university in Illinois, including GSU. (IAI schools have an agreement that help students easily transfer from one participating college/university to another.) The completion of the associate degree is an important milestone in your path to a bachelor's degree.

Students who complete only two years at a four-year university leave with no credential, but at your community college you have the opportunity to complete a degree. We want to encourage you to take advantage of earning that important degree. Life happens. If something delays or precludes the completion of your bachelor’s degree, your resume will still show you successfully achieved an associate degree at an outstanding community college.

Yes. Your GSU and community college academic advisor/counselor will work with you to ensure your academic plan enables you to graduate with your associate degree and transfer your credits to GSU. If you follow the advice of the staff of your community college and GSU, you will not lose credits when you transfer.

DDP students will fit in easily and successfully at a high quality institution that has specialized in serving transfer students for decades. DDP students get a free membership to the GSU fitness center and are qualify for discounted tickets to Center for Performing Arts shows while still attending their community college.

The average class size at GSU is only 14 students. Professors are as accessible as they are at your community college.

Your DDP Transfer Specialist will help you learn about all the options at GSU. You can also look online to find information about these undergraduate programs. 

Click on the name of your community college on the menu to the left; on that page you will find the name and contact information for the Dual Degree Program staff member (Transfer Specialist) at your community college.

For additional information regarding GSU or the DDP program, feel free to contact the Director of the Dual Degree Program at dualdegree@govst.edu and 708.534.4494.