Wayne Community College, University of Mount Olive collaborate to ease transferring credits
By From staff reports
Published in News on September 1, 2015 1:46 PM
Wayne Community College and the University of Mount Olive have entered into a partnership making it easier for students to transfer course credits from the community college to the university.
Presidents at the two local institutions recently signed an agreement that enhances UMO's participation as a signatory institution in the Universal General Education Transfer Component Agreement between the N.C. Community College System and N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities.
The arrangement provides for the transfer of course credits in the associate of arts and associate of science programs and also recognizes associate in applied science program credits.
Officials said UMO will provide WCC students and recent graduates guaranteed admission and acceptance of appropriate transfer hours, up to 64 credits from specified applied science programs, with a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Wayne Community graduates will be eligible for consideration of the full range of academic programs at UMO locations.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, 15 percent of community college students who transfer lose nearly all of their credits in the process, costing them precious time and money. Another third lose a significant proportion of their credits. In all, students who transfer from any kind of college or university to another lose an average of 13 credits when they do, and nearly 40 percent get no credit for the work they've already completed.
The arrangement also allows WCC students to be eligible to apply for all state and federal financial aid.
To streamline the process, UMO will have an admission representative on site at WCC with regular hours for advising students interested in transferring to UMO.
UMO President Dr. Philip Kerstetter said that the partnership between the two institutions will create an excellent opportunity for community college students to pursue higher education beyond the associate degree.
He also noted that Wayne County is fortunate to have both a community college and a university within its borders, allowing area residents to pursue programs from preschool to the graduate level without having to leave the county.
"The two institutions have common denominator programs," added Dr. Kay Albertson, WCC president. "It makes sense to help students flow smoothly from WCC to UMO so they can build on their associate degrees and earn bachelor's degrees."
She said the agreement provides more transfer options to WCC graduates from all associate degree areas.
"It opens options that some of our students may not have considered in the past, and the UMO admissions counselor on the WCC campus will walk students through them," she said.