Northampton Community College (NCC) and East Stroudsburg University (ESU) in Pennsylvania have established a transfer agreement allowing students from NCC to continue at ESU and earn a bachelor’s degree.
NCC President Mark Erickson and ESU Interim President Kenneth Long signed a new agreement dubbed the “NCC-ESU Pathway to Success: Stronger Together” that will allow NCC students to transfer to the university after earning an associate’s degree or completing 60 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 2.0.
Students eligible to transfer to ESU will no longer be required to complete more than 60 credit hours unless they are transferring into a program with accreditation or licensing standards that may require additional credits.
If a student transfers to ESU without an associate’s degree but has earned more than 60 credit hours, the university will allow the credit transfer to continue working toward a four-year degree.
“President Erickson and I are aligned in our passion and dedication to make this a seamless process for students transitioning from the community college to a four-year institution in order to best meet the educational needs of the northeast region,” Long said, adding that the deal envisions NCC holding occasional classes on the ESU campus.
“This is a win-win day,” said Mark Erickson, president of @NorthamptonComm. pic.twitter.com/0Mq2uFFkVF
— Molly Bilinski, artisanal sentence crafter (@MollyBilinski) July 12, 2021
Scholarships, Other Transfer Benefits
According to the press release, students who want to transfer to ESU may also qualify for transfer scholarships worth up to $6,000 per year, depending on their GPA. Furthermore, students who earn a two-year degree at NCC before attending ESU can graduate more quickly than their peers who did not attend the community college.
“Expanding affordable access to higher education is core to our mission,” Erickson explained. “This new partnership guarantees admission to ESU for our graduates with significant available scholarships that will allow them to take advantage of the same excellent and affordable education at ESU as they did at NCC.”
Meanwhile, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at ESU, Joanne Bruno, said that the partnership is looking to create “viable pathways” for students to get an associate’s degree at NCC while also supporting them in a transition into similar academic programs at ESU.
“We have had a number of successful partnerships with NCC through the years, but this one truly promises to provide NCC students ultimate access and affordability to a two-year degree, a four-year degree and further, if they so choose,” she remarked.