ICAC: Illinois College Advising Corps is a college access program that seeks to increase the number of low-income and underrepresented students applying to, and attending a post secondary institution. The University of Illinois places recent graduates as advisers in Illinois high schools to reach out to students who may wish to attend a college or university, but lack the knowledge or resources needed to be successful. Outreach to these students can vary from college visits, ACT/SAT prep workshops, college application, scholarship research and financial need workshops. The combination of six distinct elements is the pillar of our programmatic strength and the reason for our highly successful outcomes. The distinguishing innovations of the ICAC program are as follows: 1. ICAC utilizes a near-peer model. Our program recruits recent college graduates from University of Illinois as advisers whose backgrounds are similar to the high school students they serve. More than 60 percent of our program’s advisers arefirst-generation college graduates. 2. ICAC works in partnership between the high schools and University of Illinois. University of Illinois and the participating high schools share the commitment to increase the numbers of low income, first-generation, and underrepresented students who succeed in postsecondary education, and commit their own staff and resources to supporting ICAC’s work in their school. 3. ICAC provides full-time college advisers to the underserved high schools at no additional cost to the school. Our advisers partner with counselors, teachers, and administrators and function as additional staff whose single focus is on improving the school’s college-going culture and ensuring that students apply and enroll in colleges where they will succeed. 4. ICAC focuses on best fit. ICAC advisers focus on helping students identify and apply to postsecondary programs that will serve them well academically and socially— increasing the likelihood that these students will earn their degrees. 5. ICAC advisers provide a holistic approach. ICAC advisers strive to foster a school-wide, college-going culture and to provide targeted assistance to low income, first-generation, and underrepresented students who are capable and qualified but are at the greatest risk of failing to attend college. 6. ICAC strives to keep the relationship. Recently, ICAC created a retention program to follow up on the students who have moved onto college. Our former Advisers are hired at one of the three UI campuses as Graduate Assistants and Retention Coaches to support students during the transition to college and to ensure their students continue to have the guidance needed to successfully complete college. A number of high-profile initiatives have focused on closing the education achievement gap between low income, first-generation and underrepresented groups and their more advantaged peers. Yet, the gap in college-going and –completion rates is unlikely to be closed unless the gap in college advising is closed first.