A new policy from Fresno Pacific University makes it easier for community college students to transfer their credits to the university.
FPU now aligns its transfer agreements with the California State University system, meaning students who have completed transfer associate degrees have also completed FPU’s lower-division general-education requirements. Fresno Pacific had previously aligned with the University of California model.
This change makes the transfer process more efficient. “By aligning with the CSU model, it became more convenient, and easier, for the students to know what to take and what not to take; it just made it a cleaner process for students,” said Denise Baronian, associate director of regional enrollment.
The change benefits both traditional undergraduate and bachelor’s degree completion students. In fact, FPU now offers a two-year graduation guarantee for select students who enter the university with a qualified associate degree.
To develop even better ways for students to transfer, FPU President Joseph Jones, Ph.D., is meeting with community college presidents. “We have been warmly received by those presidents to open up the pathways to make it easier for students to transfer to us,” said Jon Endicott, vice president for enrollment management.
The transfer agreement is one of several strategies that led FPU to a record degree completion enrollment of 1,676 for fall 2017, up almost 400 students from 2016. “Hearing back from the students…and looking at what other schools were doing as well, [this program] just made sense,” Baronian said.
More about transferring to FPU for Traditional Undergrads and Degree Completion