Sampson Community College is among 15 other schools who have signed co-admission agreements with some of the state’s four-year universities.
Students enrolled with Sampson now have an opportunity to co-apply with East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The co-admission agreements between the local institute and state colleges is designed to improve transfer student access and success through a collaborative degree completion program.
According to Wanda Capps, vice-president for academics for SCC, students can now apply to Sampson and either ECU or UNCW simultaneously and commit to maintaining full-time status. Upon completion of their associate’s degree, students will seamlessly transition into degree-completion programs at one of the two universities.
“For students who are unable to interrupt their lives to attend classes, Sampson Community, ECU and UNCW can now provide a number of pathways to degree completion without leaving home,” Capps said. “The agreements between Sampson, ECU and UNCW signal what can be a seamless relationship for community college students transferring to partnering universities.”
With any luck, SCC administrators say more four-year colleges will soon be added to the list.
“This is precisely the sort of collaboration we need to better serve the people of North Carolina and the east in particular,” Dr. Cecil Staton, ECU chancellor, said about the co-admission agreement. “We cannot be successful and continue to produce capable and engaged citizens who will go out across the communities of this state and make a difference if we don’t have a vital partnership with our community college system. We value what you do, we value your students, and we value our partnership.”
There are many benefits to the co-admission program. According to Capps, students will not only have money by completing their first two years at a community college, but students have full access to the libraries and programming through the ECU and UNCW offices and student activities. The transfer application fee for the co-admission students is also waived.
“Sampson Community College is not only committed to the success of our students during their time here but after graduation as well,” Capps added. “We are extremely excited to provide another tool for students to meet their academic goals at the baccalaureate level. These collaborative agreements provide additional resources and assistance for students to begin here and go anywhere.”
Other participating community colleges include Beaufort County Community College, Carteret Community College, College of the Albemarle, Craven Community College, Edgecombe Community College, Halifax Community College, Johnston Community College, Lenoir Community College, Martin Community College, Nash Community College, Pamlico Community College, Pitt Community College, Roanoke-Chowan Community College, Wayne Community College and Wilson Community College.
Local real estate agent Reid Butler has been both a Sampson Community College and East Carolina University student, and he agrees with the many benefits.
“I was fortunate enough to have taken classes and summer school here at Sampson Community College before graduating at East Carolina University and I can tell you firsthand that both colleges are ideal for learning,” Butler shared.
Butler says saving money and staying near home his first two years helped him.
“You feel part of a family when you go to SCC but your family grows a lot when you are part of the Pirate family at the same time,” he says.