The Dual Admission Program: A Transfer Compact Program for College Students in Connecticut

Dual Admission Program Will Provide Students with
Joint Academic Advice and Simultaneous Admission to
Connecticut Community Colleges and CSUS Universities

System-to-system Transfer Compact signed by leaders of 16 institutions

The Connecticut State University System (CSUS) and the Connecticut Community College (CCC) system have approved a Transfer Compact which will offer dual admission to students who are planning to enroll at Central, Eastern, Southern or Western Connecticut State Universities after completing an associate's degree.

In ceremonies at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, the presidents and chancellors of the two systems, which include 12 Connecticut Community Colleges and four CSUS universities, formally signed the document launching the new program, which will be available to students beginning with the Fall 2009 semester. On hand for the signing were key legislators, policy makers and state higher education officials.

The program will permit students to be admitted at a CSUS university while working to complete an associate's degree. Upon completion of the associate's degree, they then transfer to the university they have designated. Although each of the universities has had some form of enhanced admission program in place with some neighboring community colleges, the new program expands the benefits to students adhering to the conditions in the Transfer Compact Agreement. The signing also marks the first time that all 16 institutions will adopt a uniform statewide dual admission program.

The new agreement stresses the importance of students receiving early academic advising, coordinated between the community college being attended and the university designated by the student, to ensure a program of study that will result in the smooth transfer of community college course credits. It also significantly expands the privileges that guaranteed admissions students have received in the past.

"This collaboration comes with a clear-cut and unequivocal focus - to better serve Connecticut's students," said CSUS Board Chair Lawrence D. McHugh. "Receiving academic advising from both institutions, and developing an academic plan from day one, will be tremendously helpful to students," added CSUS Chancellor David G. Carter, "potentially saving them time and money and improving the likelihood that they will continue through graduation at one of the universities."

"Students throughout Connecticut will benefit from this partnership between our systems of higher education," said CCC Chancellor Marc S. Herzog. "The open door offered by community colleges also opens the door to new opportunities at the State Universities and in Connecticut's Knowledge Economy."

The Dual Admission Program is designed for students who:

• Plan to earn an associate's degree from one of the 12 Connecticut Community Colleges (in five years or less).

• Plan to pursue a bachelor's degree at one of the four Connecticut State University System institutions beginning within two years of completing an associate's degree.

• Have earned 15 or fewer transferable college credits at the community college at the time of application to the Dual Admission Program.

"As a graduate of a Connecticut Community College who transferred to a 4-year college, I understand first-hand how important it is to have a smooth transition without a loss of credits. It saves students time and money," said Representative Roberta Willis, co-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. "As the Beatles song went, 'this is the way it should be!'"

Key features of the Dual Admission Program include:

• Guaranteed Admission
Students are guaranteed admission to the selected CSUS institution upon successful completion of their associate's degree with a minimum 2.0 GPA. Specific academic and professional programs may have additional admission requirements.

• Coordinated Academic Advising
While completing the associate's degree, students receive personalized academic advising from both community college and university advisors to ensure that appropriate coursework is completed and that all credits taken at the community college will apply toward their bachelor's degree.

• Library Access
Students have full library privileges at the university they have designated, even while completing their associate's degree at a community college.

• Registration Preference
After earning an associate's degree, students are given course registration and on-campus housing options equivalent to university juniors.

• Smooth Transition
Students enjoy a smooth transition because they take classes that will transfer, have met regularly with university staff while attending community college, have become familiar with the university's academic policies and know which upper-level classes they will need to take at the university.

"As a former, longtime community college teacher, I'm particularly happy about this new compact," said State Senator Mary Ann Handley (D-Manchester), co-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. "Considering the current state of our economy and the increasing cost of higher education at four-year institutions, it makes both economic sense and academic sense to expand educational opportunities for community college students. For those who want to pursue their dream of securing a college degree from any one of Connecticut's four state universities, this compact - and a lot of hard work - will help make that dream a reality."

In addition to the general Dual Admission Program, the colleges and universities have a number of program-to-program agreements, specific academic baccalaureate programs, and pathway programs which will continue to be offered to students.

The Dual Admission application process is streamlined, allowing students to apply to both a community college and a CSUS university at the same time. Students must designate which of the four universities they plan to attend. A new Web page, http://www.ct.edu/dual, has been launched to provide students with information about the new Dual Admission Program. Brochures and applications are now also available.

The new Dual Admission Program implements a key provision included in a Memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed on March 29, 2007, by leaders of the two systems and institutions. That agreement envisioned a system-to-system agreement by 2010. The agreement signed Wednesday (April 22, 2009) puts the plan in place a year ahead of schedule.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Mary Anne Cox, Connecticut Community Colleges, mcox@comment.edu, 860-244-7639
Bernard Kavaler, Connecticut State University System, kavalerb@ct.edu, 860-493-0093