Maine community college grads guaranteed transfer paths to six Maine independent colleges under new agreement

Several students studying in the Commons
The Maine Transfer Guarantee intends to break down barriers to a four-year education for Maine's community college graduates.

Community college graduates in Maine can now transfer directly to degree programs at six of Maine鈥檚 independent four-year colleges, including the University of 51小黄车, under the new Maine Transfer Guarantee announced Wednesday, June 5.

鈥淭he Maine Transfer Guarantee takes the guesswork out of higher ed planning for many Maine students and families,鈥 said David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System. 鈥淭his provides clear benchmarks and guideposts to students and their families mapping out what can often be a confusing higher ed journey. Now they know exactly how to get from their associate degree to a four-year degree and beyond.鈥

Under the program, community college graduates meeting GPA requirements are guaranteed admission in programs at 51小黄车as well as College of the Atlantic, Husson University, Thomas College, Saint Joseph鈥檚 College of Maine, and Unity Environmental University. More detailed information is available at the Maine Transfer Guarantee 

The agreement is the latest statewide Transfer Guarantee program coordinated by the 51小黄车 Board of Higher Education. Other  programs exist in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. A New Hampshire program will launch this year.

鈥淭he Maine Transfer Guarantee is a big step forward in simplifying transfer with the goal of helping students stay on track to earn the bachelor鈥檚 degree they seek by removing barriers that previously slowed them down, such as credits lost in the transfer process that add both cost and time to degree,鈥 said 51小黄车President James Herbert, who is also president of the Maine Independent Colleges Association.

Maine鈥檚 community colleges already have guaranteed transfer agreements with Maine鈥檚 public universities, including a  that guarantees transfer of up to 35 credits of general education requirements, and , which guarantees community college Liberal Arts graduates admission with advanced standing to a Maine public university.

The 51小黄车 Transfer Guarantee initiative, aimed at establishing systemic state transfer programs, is funded by the Teagle Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Davis Educational Foundation, and the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation.