If your family is weighing the community-college-to-four-year path, North Central College just picked up a credential worth knowing about.
The Naperville college was named to Phi Theta Kappa's 2026 Transfer Honor Roll, the institution announced Wednesday, July 29 on X. The honor places NCC among 275 colleges and universities selected from more than 900 eligible four-year institutions.
Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for students at community colleges, evaluates schools across five dimensions: transfer student success rates, campus friendliness and belonging, need- and merit-based financial aid availability, acceptance of transfer credits toward a degree, and recruitment experience.
What NCC offers transfer students
NCC enrolled 264 transfer undergraduates in fall 2025, part of a record total enrollment of 3,179 students. The most popular majors among those transfer students were management and marketing, health science, psychology, kinesiology, and biology. Nearly a quarter enrolled in the School of Education and Health Sciences.
The college's Fast Track Transfer program lets Illinois community college students apply without official transcripts, receive rolling admission decisions, and get a transcript evaluation at the time of admission. NCC also maintains formal course-substitution partnerships with community colleges including Moraine Valley.
Transfer merit scholarships for 2026-27 range from $26,500 to $29,000 annually based on GPA. Students who are Phi Theta Kappa members at their community college receive an additional $3,000 per year on top of the merit award. The college reports that 100% of new students receive some form of financial assistance.
Families interested in the transfer pathway can contact NCC's admissions office at 630-637-5800 or [email protected].
School Week Ahead
- Thursday, Aug. 13 — District 203 first day of school (all schools)
- Monday, Aug. 17 — District 204 first day of school (all schools)
No District 203 or District 204 board meetings for the first week of August were confirmed at press time. Check naperville203.org and ipsd.org for updated calendars.
