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By CityTownInfo.com Staff
July 30, 2009
An increasing number of community colleges are offering guaranteed admission to four-year institutions to students who receive two-year degrees and maintain certain grade-point averages.
The Tennessean reports that Nashville State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University are the latest to sign such an agreement. Their program allows students who earn associate's degrees to be guaranteed acceptance to MTSU to complete work for undergraduate degrees. Eligible students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
The Reston Connection reports on a similar program offered at Northern Virginia Community College. "For students who are interested in going to some of the more selective universities in the state, this is a huge opportunity," noted Greg Schuckman, president of NVCC's Board of Trustees.
Such was the case for Suzanne Spatz, who contacted Lyme disease and decided to remain closer to home at NVCC while her health stabilized. She was automatically accepted to the University of Virginia after maintaining a GPA of at least 3.4.
"I am very happy that I did it," said Spatz. "It was kind of nice to know I could guarantee my admissions somewhere. . . . If I had applied to UVA out of high school, I honestly probably wouldn't have gotten in. My grades were pretty good but my SAT scores were not very good and I couldn't take as many [Advanced Placement] courses as I normally would have because of my health."
To be eligible for the program, students also must earn at least a C in all community college classes and a B in two required English courses. They also are required to take courses in foreign language, social science, humanities and historical studies.
In addition to guaranteeing admission to selective schools, the program makes sense from a financial perspective. According to Joan Sanders, director of financial aid at NVCC, the school "is cheaper than any other school in our area and it can save our students a ton of money. . . . They pay less in tuition. They can stay at home and not pay room and board costs. And they can maintain their current job."
Some other institutions which participate in the NVCC's guaranteed admission program include the College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, George Mason University, George Washington University and Georgetown University.
A similar program is offered at Montgomery College in Maryland. "A lot of the four-year institutions are becoming so competitive," pointed out Eric Myren, director of student employment services, in an interview with CityTownInfo.com. "I think in this past year, around 18,000 applied to the University of Maryland and they only accepted 4,000. Students know if they go to Montgomery College and maintain a certain GPA, they will automatically be accepted into the University of Maryland for their final two years. We have that kind of agreement with every college in Maryland, and even some outside of Maryland."
| Date | Article Title | |
|---|---|---|
 | College Board Report Shows Many Capable Students Do Not Take AP Exams | |
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