How to Save Significant Money through College Partnerships

College-bound students worried about the cost of an undergraduate education or those not quite ready to make a four-year commitment may want to consider the opportunities available through transfer partnerships between two- and four-year colleges.

Otherwise known as “articulation agreements,” these contracts between institutions are frequently overlooked or even misunderstood by students considering postsecondary options.

But it’s not really all that difficult to understand. An articulation agreement is a formal arrangement to transfer a defined set of academic credits between the academic programs of one institution (usually a two-year community college) to programs within a college or campus of a four-year institution.

Many of these agreements come with guaranteed admissions provisions enabling students to make smooth transitions between programs and eventually earn bachelors’ degrees.

In other words, with careful planning and solid counseling support, a student an enter a community college, complete certain specified requirements, and then automatically transfer to a four-year degree-granting program from which he or she may ultimately graduate.

For example, a student earning an associate’s degree at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) who has followed specific guidelines may have guaranteed admission to any of the following:

• Catholic University


• Christopher Newport University


• College of William & Mary


• George Mason University


• George Washington University


• Hollins University


• James Madison University


• Liberty University


• Longwood University


• Mary Baldwin College


• Marymount University


• Norfolk State University


• Old Dominion University


• Radford University


• Trinity Washington University


• University of Mary Washington


• University of Virginia


• Virginia Commonwealth University


• Virginia State University


• Virginia Tech


• Virginia Union University


• Virginia Wesleyan College

Montgomery College also has many exciting articulation agreements with Maryland universities and colleges, including the University of Maryland—College Park, Towson University, UMBC, Frostburg State University, and Salisbury University. More information on these programs is available at the ARTSYS website.

These are actually pretty sweet deals that can save thousands of dollars. Regardless of the route taken, the student comes out with the same credential—only cheaper!

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