Every student wants a quality education at an affordable price.  Starting a college career at a local community college may be an excellent option for many Pennsylvania students.  We researched transfer agreements at Delaware County Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, and Northampton Community College. 

Our general impressions are that it is possible and can be very beneficial to start your courses at a community college, for a fraction of the price, and then finish your degree at a 4-year university, such as Temple University, Widener University, Penn State, or dozens of other schools.

The students should do their research before enrolling to ensure their desired program and University partners with the selected community college.

Here are some examples:
Community College:  Delaware County Community College (DCCC)

Transfer Agreement University:  Widener University (Chester, PA) - Dual Admissions

Program and Benefits:  Students can earn their Associates degree in one of the following programs, and are eligible for dual admissions at Widener:  Behavioral Science, Business Administration, Communication Arts, Computer Information Systems, Early Childhood Education, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Global Studies, Liberal Arts, Mathematics/Natural Science, Natural Science, Science for Health Professions, and Hotel and Restaurant Management.

Widener University offers scholarships to all qualified full-time Dual Admission students who have been admitted to Widener pursuant to the transfer agreement.  They are awarded based on cumulative GPA at time of graduation from DCCC:

2.47-2.83:  $9,500/year
2.84-3.12:  $12,000/year
3.13-3.40:  $16,000/year
3.41+:  $18,000/year