Guaranteed Transfer Agreement with Nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Oceanside CA— Beginning fall 2015, California community college transfer students who meet certain academic criteria will be guaranteed admission to nine historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), thanks to an agreement between the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors and the leaders of the institutions. The agreement was signed at the board’s meeting March 17.
“The CCC is working on multiple fronts to create avenues of opportunity for our students,” said CCC Board of Governors President Geoffrey L. Baum. “This agreement opens a new and streamlined transfer pathway for our students to some of the finest and culturally diverse institutions of higher learning in the United States. I thank our nine partners for working with us to make it possible.”
The HBCUs participating so far are:
- Bennett College, Greensboro, N.C.
- Dillard University, New Orleans, La.
- Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.
- Lincoln University of Missouri, Jefferson City, Mo.
- Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark.
- Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- Talladega College, Talladega, Ala.
- Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.
- Wiley College, Marshall, Texas
More HBCUs are expected to join the initiative, which supports a White House effort to bolster support for these institutions.
“MiraCosta is honored to be a part of this new transfer pathway,” said Lise Flocken, director of the MiraCosta College Transfer Center. “We appreciate the HBCU working with the CCC to create more opportunities for students.”
Under the agreement, students who apply to the schools and obtain a transfer-level associate degree with a GPA of 2.5 or higher and complete either the University of California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, or the California State University General Education Breadth pattern, will be guaranteed admission with junior standing.
HBCUs were founded to serve the higher education needs of African-American students, though they are open to students of any ethnicity.
These colleges and universities are typically smaller in student size than other schools. Many classes are taught by professors rather than teaching assistants in a nurturing and supportive environment with many opportunities for student leadership development.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for all of our students and in particular black students, to explore higher education options outside the state of California at colleges and universities that are rich in history and tradition,” said Don Love, MiraCosta College associate counselor. “Creating these new pathways can only help increase the numbers of students who will transfer and go on to receive bachelor’s degrees and higher while providing an incredibly rewarding experience.”
For more information on the agreement and the participating colleges and universities, please visit www.cccco.edu/HBCUTransfer.