On Wednesday, Gov. Deval Patrick, along with the Chancellor of University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the President of Roxbury Community College, announced a new program aimed at helping community college students across the state attend UMass universities.
UMass-Amherst Community College Connection will allow students who have graduated from community colleges to more easily attend UMass schools, said Patrick, UMass Chancellor Robert Holub and RCC President Terrence Gomes in a March 23 press release.
UMCCC, which will give community college graduates benefits such as a discount on tuition, will begin in the 2011 fall semester. According to the program’s website, students are guaranteed admission as long as they meet the requirements for the program, which include a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.
UMass brings in about 500 community college graduates every year, with about 90 percent staying after their first year and about 70 percent graduating, Holus said in the release.
“The Community College Connection provides students with critical support to bolster their chances at success,” Patrick said in the release. “I commend leadership at UMass and our Community Colleges for enthusiastically embracing this wonderful opportunity to collaborate.”
Students who take advantage of the program will, along with being given financial help, receive special advising by the college deans in their first year, have the opportunity for early registration, transition sessions, an advantage over other transfer students for housing and the opportunity for a complete reduction of in-state tuition if students meet certain requirements, according to the press release.
“We believe that our students should be given every chance to reach their full potential,” Gomes said in the release. “The UMass Amherst Community College Connection will provide vital resources that our students need to remain engaged in the higher educational process, and this program represents an extension of the RCC mission by helping our students enhance the quality of their lives and our community.”
“We applaud UMass for providing all Massachusetts community college students with this unique opportunity,” he said.
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