Education on the (relatively) cheap

[tuixiu]

ASU caps tuition for transfers from local community colleges

Quote:

Maricopa Community Colleges' incoming students who major in one of the 20 most-popular transfer-degree programs will be treated like Arizona State University freshmen this fall under a novel agreement between the two higher-education institutions. The agreement intends to keep tuition costs down for students pursuing one of those degrees who transfer to ASU within three years of starting community college. Annual ASU tuition increases will be capped at 5 percent from the time students start community college so that, when they transfer, their fees will not exceed what they would have been had they started at ASU in their first year. The program, known as the Maricopa-ASU Pathways Program, or MAPP, was one of the more than two dozen recommendations from the governor's P-20 Council, which wants to double the number of students who graduate each year with a bachelor's degree. The council was created in 2005 to improve Arizona's education system and meet employers' demands.

I think this is huge. I've long thought that attending a community college then transferring to larger state university is an oft-overlooked path to getting a higher education for way less money. Takes same amount of time, degree looks exactly the same, but now you don't even have to suffer as much tuition shock of the second two years of your education.

They had the list of degrees offered under this program in the newspaper and they included most common ones like business, computer info sys, biology, etc.

Anything that can help young people get into and out of school without setting them back in life financially by several squares on the playing board is great, and I applaud the efforts he state of Arizona is making.

[freebird5825]

Great thing for AZ to do.
The SUNY (State University of NY) system has had a similar program in place for years. Students can go to community colleges for 1 or 2 years, and/or go directly to a 2 year state school, then transfer ALL credits to an upper level state college or 4 year college or state university, ALL within the same system. Seamless! No change in tuition, which is critical to a scholarship student.
Starting in 1976, I did 3 years at a regular 4 year college, then I transferred to a university for my senior year. My degree came from the 4 year college, however at the university I was able to enroll in bonafide graduate courses as a visiting senior. All credits transferred back from a 4 credit/course system to a 3 credit/course system. I made out like a bandit.

[Zoocat]

That's a great program! Back in the day, I did a two year jr. college program in CA then transferred to a UC. Much more affordable even then. But, I have to say this, the education is not comparable. Not at all. I had a huge wake up call once I got to the UC,had to study lots more to keep up. The other students were working on a MUCH higher level and the professors expected much more of them.

[missionfinder]

Our state allows all the Board of Regent Community Colleges credits to be transferred to the state universities. I think its the smart way to get an education. No one looks at your resume and then asks if you went to community college, they simply care about who's name is on the 4, 6, etc. degree.