Illinois Code § 5

§ 5.

Definitions. In this Act: "Debt" means any money, obligation, claim, or sum due or owing or alleged to be due or owing from a student to an institution of higher education. "Debt" does not include the fee, if any, that is charged to students by an applicable provider for the actual cost of providing an academic transcript to a student. "Institution of higher education" includes, but is not limited to, an institution to which the Private Business and Vocational Schools Act of 2012 or the Private College Act applies and a public institution of higher education included in the definition of "public institutions of higher education" under the Board of Higher Education Act. "Institution of higher education" also includes a person engaged in the business of providing postsecondary education, via correspondence or online or in this State, to an individual located in this State, regardless of whether the person has obtained authorization from the Board of Higher Education to operate in this State or is accredited. "Official transcript" means the academic transcript or a similar academic record of each current or former student of an institution of higher education that is deemed official, authenticated, certified, or bona fide and that contains information customarily provided on an official academic transcript, including, but not limited to, courses taken, terms, grades, degrees or credentials conferred, and any other similar information. "Unofficial transcript" means the academic transcript or a similar academic record of each current or former student of an institution of higher education that contains information customarily provided on an official transcript, but cannot be used to transfer academic credits to another institution of higher education. (Source: P.A. 102-998, eff. 5-27-22.)