Vance-Granville Community College students will enjoy clearer pathways to completing a four-year degree, thanks to a new Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA) between the N.C. Community College System and the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities.
Approximately 2,000 community college students transfer to one of North Carolina’s 36 independent higher education institutions each year. VGCC’s highly-regarded College Transfer program provides students with the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. College Transfer courses are offered at all four VGCC campuses and online.
On Aug. 27, Dr. R. Scott Ralls, the president of North Carolina’s system of 58 community colleges, and Dr. A. Hope Williams, the president of NCICU, signed the revised ICAA at William Peace University, one of the 22 private colleges and universities that have agreed to the standards of the new transfer plan.
The agreement better defines transfer options for students between the two systems, saving North Carolinians money and potentially shortening the time to bachelor’s degree completion.
“This signing, joined with our revised agreement with the UNC system in 2014, brings North Carolina’s higher education alignment to a new level,” said Dr. Ralls. “It means increased access and opportunity for our community college students and clearly defined pathways to success at both public and private higher education institutions in our state. I commend the NC Independent Colleges and Universities for proactively working toward this agreement for the benefit of both systems’ students and their families.”
The ultimate goal of the ICAA is to help a student transfer credits from a community college to an NCICU institution with minimal loss of credit or repetition of work.
The ICAA moves community college students toward their four-year degree goals by clearly defining transfer pathways and how earned credit hours fit into the requirements of signatory institutions. The ICAA:
- Identifies foundational courses that will transfer to all signatory institutions to meet general education requirements;
- Improves the success of transferring students through required coursework that ensures students will map their academic pathway to the desired independent institution; and
- Encourages community college students to complete an Associate in Arts (AA) or an Associate in Science (AS) degree before transferring by guaranteeing entry as juniors with full transfer credit.
In 2014, the State Board of Community Colleges and the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina system signed a similarly revised agreement, updating guidelines that have saved students and families both time and money, and that have stretched taxpayer-funded dollars. The ICAA is consistent with the University of North Carolina system agreement, meaning students will have the same transfer guarantees regardless of the type of senior institution in the state they attend.
In addition to the two comprehensive system-wide agreements, VGCC also has several bilateral articulation agreements with four-year schools (both public and private) that allow students to transfer credits in specific programs.
“This strengthened partnership between North Carolina’s public and private educational institutions is good news for Vance-Granville students, who will be able to achieve professional and personal success by completing a bachelor’s degree, in less time and at a lower cost,” said Dr. Angela Ballentine, VGCC Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs.
The revised ICAA, updated from the previous articulation agreement signed in 2007, is effective for new college transfer students in the fall of 2015 at the signatory colleges and universities.
The institutions that have signed onto the new agreement thus far include: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Bennett College, Brevard College, Campbell University, Chowan University, Guilford College, Lees-McRae College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Livingstone College, Mars Hill University, Meredith College, Methodist University, Montreat College, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Pfeiffer University, Salem College, Shaw University, St. Andrews University, University of Mount Olive, William Peace University and Wingate University.