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The Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth campuses and the state’s community colleges are embarking on a new partnership to ease the transfer process.
The partnership creates a common dual-admission program in which community college students in associate degree programs can receive an admissions offer to a designated Penn State Commonwealth campus upon request, according to a recent news release from the Penn State system. These students can apply to transfer with no fee during their last semester and have guaranteed admission to a bachelor’s degree program at that designated college, provided they meet eligibility requirements.
“This new agreement between Penn State and Pennsylvania’s community colleges is built upon our shared mission to strengthen our communities, serve the students and families of our commonwealth, and create expanded pathways to the transformative power of higher education,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said in the release.
As a part of the partnership, Penn State Commonwealth campuses will also renew or develop new articulation agreements with community colleges using a shared template to streamline the transfer process. The collaboration also involves promoting RaiseME transfer scholarships, a program that allows community college students to earn microscholarships for earning good grades, participating in campus activities or other achievements. When students transfer, the scholarships are converted to Penn State scholarships.
“We look forward to enhancing our robust partnerships with Pennsylvania colleges and universities to create additional pathways to bachelor’s and higher-level degrees,” Tuesday Stanley, chair of the board of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges and president of Westmoreland County Community College, said in the release.
The new collaboration comes at a time when enrollments at many Pennsylvania public institutions have fallen and some campuses have explored creative solutions to cooperate rather than compete. Governor Josh Shapiro also proposed bringing 10 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities and the state’s community colleges under one governing body to share resources, though the overhaul wouldn’t apply to the Penn State University system.
