A streamlined transfer path
“This agreement opens a new and streamlined transfer pathway for our students to some of the finest and culturally diverse institutions of higher learning in the United States,”said California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Geoffrey L. Baum.
The nine HBCUs participating in the agreement are:
• Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C.
• Dillard University in New Orleans, La.
• Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.
• Lincoln University of Missouri in Jefferson City, Mo.
• Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark.
• Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• Talladega College in Talladega, Ala.
• Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.
• Wiley College in Marshall, Texas
Under the agreement, beginning fall 2015, students who apply to the schools and obtain a transfer-level associate degree with a GPA of 2.5 or higher and complete either the University of California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum or the California State University General Education Breadth pattern will be guaranteed admission with junior standing.
A second option to earn guaranteed admission requires transfer students to earn 30 or more CSU or UC transferrable units with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Other advantages for transfer students under the agreement include priority consideration for housing, consideration for transfer scholarships for students with a 3.2 or higher GPA, and pre-admission advising.
For certain majors, students may need to fulfill additional prerequisites and other requirements.
Eight of the participating colleges and universities are private institutions. Lincoln University in Missouri is public, and will offer in-state tuition for California community college transfer students.
Though HBCUs were founded to serve the higher education needs of African-American students, they are open to students of any ethnicity.
HBCUs are typically smaller in student size than other schools, and many classes are taught by professors rather than teaching assistants with the goal of providing students with a nurturing and supportive environment, as well as opportunities for student leadership development.
“We applaud Chancellor Brice W. Harris and the California Community Colleges for working to ensure that all community college students have a guaranteed pathway toward their academic goals,” said Walter Bumphus, president of the American Association of Community Colleges. “Nationally, community colleges serve the majority of minority students, and this historic agreement with HBCUs will safeguard increased access toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree.”
Material from a press release was used in this report.
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