When students begin planning for college, many have a traditional route in mind: Head to a university. Spend four (or, okay, five) years there. Leave with bachelor’s degree in hand.

But for financial, academic or personal reasons, some students may find it advantageous to spend their first year or two at a junior or community college before finishing their bachelor’s degree at a four-year university.

Perhaps the financial aid package at the four-year school isn’t generous enough, especially when multiplied over four years. Maybe the student didn’t get into the college he wanted. Or sometimes a student simply doesn’t feel ready to head off to a big school alone and would rather transition into a junior college near home and family.

In all of these cases, a junior college can be a great choice. If your child is considering this route, there are a few things you should know to make sure the transfer process goes as planned and that he or she doesn’t lose any precious credits.

First, the good news: It’s easier than you may think for junior college students to transfer.

Many universities actively recruit these students because they already have a proven track record of successfully doing college work. I’ve seen more than one student who was rejected by a certain university as a freshman applicant win acceptance to that school as a sophomore or junior transfer student.

So the first thing you should look for is whether the community college in question has any relationships with other institutions.

Most junior colleges have what is called an “articulation agreement” with one or more four-year institutions.

These partnerships clearly outline how the transfer process will work and spell out which credits are needed in order to gain entry to the four-year college.

The idea is to save time and money for students and to make sure that the university gets transfer students who are prepared for their programs. In many of these partnerships, junior college students now actually begin working with advisors from the four-year university while they attend their junior college.

Tyler Junior College has agreements in place with several universities, including Texas A&M Commerce.

Baylor Bound helps TJC students transfer more easily to Baylor’s campus in Waco, helping them choose courses that will satisfy Baylor’s requirements and lead to a Baylor bachelor’s degree.

Earlier this year, TJC and the University of Texas at Tyler announced a program called Patriot Pathways, which is designed to provide a seamless transition of TJC graduates to UT Tyler so they can complete their bachelor’s degree without losing time or credits.

It’s possible to transfer into a college that doesn’t have this sort of formal agreement with a given junior college, but then the work of managing this process falls more squarely on the student.

Students who go this route first need to research whether credit from each community college course will be accepted by their target university. (This can generally be done on the university’s website; you just need the course number.)

They also should research the transfer process independently, perhaps by contacting a transfer advisor at the admissions offices of their intended school. And they must understand what grades are required, both overall GPA and grades in individual courses.

If any courses don’t transfer – either because of the grades earned or because the new college doesn’t recognize the credit – the student will probably have to take that class again.

But if the process works perfectly, a junior college graduate will start classes at the four-year university as a junior, with about half of their required hours already earned.

Either way, the eventual bachelor’s degree the student earns will bear the name of only the four-year university, and it’s just as valid as any other degree conferred by that school.

 

Donna Spann is the CEO of Capstone College and Career Advising in Tyler. A college advisor for 12 years, Donna leads a team of professionals who take a personal approach to advising that helps students navigate through career exploration and the college application process.