New transfer program takes MCC to Maryland
Marques Cunningham
The Maricopa County Community College District and the University of Maryland-University College (UMUC) have completed a transfer partnership agreement that will give students the option of transferring up to 70 credits toward a bachelor’s degree at UMUC.Students who are accepted will become eligible for a variety of benefits. The benefits include two scholarships. The Dual Enrollment Scholarship is a $1,000 per year scholarship for students taking a minimum of three credits at UMUC and one of the Maricopa Community Colleges each semester.
Also, there is the Community College Transfer Scholarship (CCTS). In this scholarship UMUC will pay eligible students $3,000 per semester per year for full-time students and $1,650 per year for part-time students.
UMUC is an international leader in distance learning, serving more than 90,000 students worldwide through more than 100 online programs with 760 courses, and on-site courses in more than 23 countries.
The university was founded in 1947 and currently has 24,284 students enrolled.
UMUC has rolling admission, with a 99 percent approval rate. Though, incoming students are required to have an associate’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA for acceptance.
A signing ceremony was held in mid-December at Rio Salado College to finalize the agreement. Those in attendance included MCCCD representatives Chancellor Rufus Glasper, Maria Harper-Marinick, Chris Bustamante, and Susan Aldridge, president of UMUC.
“In keeping with President Obama’s American Graduation Initiative, this flexible agreement offers Maricopa students a unique opportunity to move seamlessly from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree without losing credits, or ever leaving home,” Aldridge said.
