INA, Ill. (August 5, 2026) — Kyle Kellerman (Pinckneyville) has officially completed his associate degree during the Spring 2026 semester at Rend Lake College thanks to a simple reverse transfer process.
Kellerman’s path to higher education started close to home at the RLC Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus. Taking classes at MWPC cut what would have been an hour-long drive down to 20 minutes, allowing him to stay involved in his local parish, the Catholic Church of St. Bruno.
"The Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus made a lot of sense for me," Kellerman said. "I was unsure whether I wanted to become a teacher, but RLC allowed me to pursue my associate degree with little cost and overall negative consequences if I changed my mind."
Initially focused on education, Kellerman realized during his time at RLC that his desire to teach and serve was leading him toward a different calling: the priesthood. When the opportunity arose to transfer directly to Saint Louis University to enter seminary, he jumped at the chance.
Although his RLC coursework allowed him to skip a year of seminary at SLU, Kellerman left RLC just shy of earning his associate degree. That changed when Andrea Banach, Dean of MWPC Advancement and Outreach, reached out to let him know about reverse transfer, a process that allows students to transfer university credits back to RLC to finish their degree requirements.
"The reverse transfer process was super simple," Kellerman said. "I requested an official transcript from SLU and sent it electronically to RLC. RLC accepted the necessary credits for the completion of the degree, and I received my diploma in the mail a few weeks later."
Having that diploma gives Kellerman closure on the time he invested through high school dual-credit courses and his year at MWPC. He encourages other former RLC students who transferred early to look into the option.
"It is one of the simplest things I have ever done regarding colleges and universities," Kellerman said. "For people in similar shoes as mine, it is worth looking into because it allows you to earn what you deserve for all the time put into RLC."
For more information on reverse transfer and degree completion, contact academic advisement at 618-437-5321 ext. 1266 or email advisement@rlc.edu.
