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
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
The scholarships are renewable each year, provided the student completes a minimum of 24 credits per year and maintains a cumulative 2.75 Widener GPA. Also, students who submit the FAFSA may be eligible for need-based financial aid, in addition.
Price Comparison (neither amount includes financial aid):
One-year tuition only Delaware County Community College: $8,740 (outside-district counties) or $5,260 (in-district counties*)
One-year tuition only Widener University (2016-2017): $42,870 (commuter)
*Residents of the 12 school districts that provide financial support for DCCC pay significantly reduced tuition. Those districts are: Chester-Upland, Garnet Valley (residents of Bethel Township), Haverford, Interboro, Radnor, Ridley, Rose Tree Media, Southeast Delco, Springfield, Upper Darby, Wallingford-Swarthmore (residents of Swarthmore and Rutledge) and William Penn.
Delaware County Community College has transfer advisors specifically employed to help students have a smooth transfer process from DCCC to the 4-year college that they want to attend. First year students are encouraged to meet with a transfer advisor as soon as they start classes. DCCC also has a unique online program called TransferCheck which assists students in ensuring they are taking the right courses. It is a way for students to self-advise throughout the whole process.
DCCC has transfer agreements with over 20 universities.
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Community College: Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC)
Transfer Agreement University: Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) - Dual Admissions
Program and Benefits: Temple University’s Dual Admissions transfer agreements were designed to facilitate students’ ease of transfer into any of Temple’s 100+ undergraduate majors and, ultimately, to foster academic success. Some competitive majors (art, architecture, music, dance, pharmacy, nursing, and health information management) have additional admissions requirements.
Scholarships available:
Full-time students:
$1,000 academic scholarship to students with final 3.30-3.64 GPA;
$2,000 academic scholarship to students with final 3.65-4.0 GPA;
All scholarships may be renewed for up to three years with a 3.0 Temple cumulative GPA.
Price Comparison (neither amount includes financial aid):
One-year tuition only Lehigh Carbon Community College: $11,980 (outside-district counties) or $8,710 (in-district counties*)
One-year tuition only Temple University (2016-2017): $16,274 (commuter)
*LCCC is sponsored by the nine school districts in Lehigh County and four of the five school districts in Carbon County: Allentown, Catasauqua, East Penn, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern Lehigh, Parkland, Salisbury, Southern Lehigh, Whitehall-Coplay, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Palmerton, and Panther Valley. Tuition and certain fees are based on school district and Pennsylvania residency.
LCCC has transfer agreements with over 50 colleges and universities including Penn State (multiple campuses), Millersville University, Albright College, etc.
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Community College: Northampton Community College (NCC)
Transfer Agreement University: Albright College (Reading, PA) - Dual Admissions
Program and Benefits: The program offers additional scholarships available to dual admissions students and a waived application fee when they apply to their transfer destination. Albright and NCC have dual admission agreements for Bachelor’s Degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Information Systems, Organizational Behavior/Applied Psychology, Crime & Justice and other majors.
Albright also partners with NCC’s Honors Program, which has additional benefits for students that have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Albright offers one free course per year at their college while the student is still at NCC.
Price Comparison (neither amount includes financial aid):
One-year tuition only Northampton Community College: $8,970 (outside-district counties) or $4,100 (in-district counties*)
*In-district includes residents in the following sponsoring school districts only: Bangor, Bethlehem, Easton, Nazareth, Northampton, Pen Argyl, Saucon Valley, and Wilson.
One-year tuition only Albright College (2016-2017): $41,544 (commuter)
Albright College is a school that meets 100% financial need. See their website for more information.
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Why might a student choose to start their college career at a community college? The reasons are varied and may be driven by financial reasons, to explore career opportunities, flexible schedules, or to deal with low high school grades.
The transfer agreements or articulation agreements between community colleges and 4-year universities are varied. It is important that students follow these articulation agreements, which will help them save time and money. The most common types of agreements are explained below:
Plan ahead and ask questions along the way. Each university has its own requirements, so if you are looking at a specific major or program, ensure that the community college credits will transfer. As shown above, the community college route can save families thousands of dollars in the first two years of school, and lead to some valuable scholarships. Each family needs to look at all the options and decide what is best before making their final college decision.
Price Comparison (neither amount includes financial aid):
One-year tuition only Delaware County Community College: $8,740 (outside-district counties) or $5,260 (in-district counties*)
One-year tuition only Widener University (2016-2017): $42,870 (commuter)
*Residents of the 12 school districts that provide financial support for DCCC pay significantly reduced tuition. Those districts are: Chester-Upland, Garnet Valley (residents of Bethel Township), Haverford, Interboro, Radnor, Ridley, Rose Tree Media, Southeast Delco, Springfield, Upper Darby, Wallingford-Swarthmore (residents of Swarthmore and Rutledge) and William Penn.
Delaware County Community College has transfer advisors specifically employed to help students have a smooth transfer process from DCCC to the 4-year college that they want to attend. First year students are encouraged to meet with a transfer advisor as soon as they start classes. DCCC also has a unique online program called TransferCheck which assists students in ensuring they are taking the right courses. It is a way for students to self-advise throughout the whole process.
DCCC has transfer agreements with over 20 universities.
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Community College: Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC)
Transfer Agreement University: Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) - Dual Admissions
Program and Benefits: Temple University’s Dual Admissions transfer agreements were designed to facilitate students’ ease of transfer into any of Temple’s 100+ undergraduate majors and, ultimately, to foster academic success. Some competitive majors (art, architecture, music, dance, pharmacy, nursing, and health information management) have additional admissions requirements.
Scholarships available:
Full-time students:
$1,000 academic scholarship to students with final 3.30-3.64 GPA;
$2,000 academic scholarship to students with final 3.65-4.0 GPA;
All scholarships may be renewed for up to three years with a 3.0 Temple cumulative GPA.
Price Comparison (neither amount includes financial aid):
One-year tuition only Lehigh Carbon Community College: $11,980 (outside-district counties) or $8,710 (in-district counties*)
One-year tuition only Temple University (2016-2017): $16,274 (commuter)
*LCCC is sponsored by the nine school districts in Lehigh County and four of the five school districts in Carbon County: Allentown, Catasauqua, East Penn, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern Lehigh, Parkland, Salisbury, Southern Lehigh, Whitehall-Coplay, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Palmerton, and Panther Valley. Tuition and certain fees are based on school district and Pennsylvania residency.
LCCC has transfer agreements with over 50 colleges and universities including Penn State (multiple campuses), Millersville University, Albright College, etc.
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Community College: Northampton Community College (NCC)
Transfer Agreement University: Albright College (Reading, PA) - Dual Admissions
Program and Benefits: The program offers additional scholarships available to dual admissions students and a waived application fee when they apply to their transfer destination. Albright and NCC have dual admission agreements for Bachelor’s Degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Information Systems, Organizational Behavior/Applied Psychology, Crime & Justice and other majors.
Albright also partners with NCC’s Honors Program, which has additional benefits for students that have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Albright offers one free course per year at their college while the student is still at NCC.
Price Comparison (neither amount includes financial aid):
One-year tuition only Northampton Community College: $8,970 (outside-district counties) or $4,100 (in-district counties*)
*In-district includes residents in the following sponsoring school districts only: Bangor, Bethlehem, Easton, Nazareth, Northampton, Pen Argyl, Saucon Valley, and Wilson.
One-year tuition only Albright College (2016-2017): $41,544 (commuter)
Albright College is a school that meets 100% financial need. See their website for more information.
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Why might a student choose to start their college career at a community college? The reasons are varied and may be driven by financial reasons, to explore career opportunities, flexible schedules, or to deal with low high school grades.
The transfer agreements or articulation agreements between community colleges and 4-year universities are varied. It is important that students follow these articulation agreements, which will help them save time and money. The most common types of agreements are explained below:
- Dual Admission: This is the best option for students that know the university they want to attend. It allows students to apply to both the community college and the partner 4-year university. The students are usually provisionally accepted to the 4-year school provided they meet the criteria outlined in the agreement.
- Core-to-Core: These agreements guarantee that credits earned toward the student’s associate degree at the community college will be accepted towards the core (general education) requirements at the 4-year school. This benefits students, because all the credits earned from the associate degree are applied without evaluating individual courses.
- Program-to-Program: These agreements are designed to show the exact courses necessary for the students to earn their associate degree and meet the requirements for a corresponding Bachelor’s degree. They show the exact major courses, general education courses, and electives that students should take to have a seamless transfer.
Plan ahead and ask questions along the way. Each university has its own requirements, so if you are looking at a specific major or program, ensure that the community college credits will transfer. As shown above, the community college route can save families thousands of dollars in the first two years of school, and lead to some valuable scholarships. Each family needs to look at all the options and decide what is best before making their final college decision.
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