KEARNEY – Students who want to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney but initially fall short of admissions requirements now will have a new option to enroll at Central Community College and be a Loper.
A co-enrollment agreement signed today (Monday) creates a structured and supportive CCC-UNK Pathway to help applicants, who would otherwise be denied admission, meet UNK admission requirements. Pathway students will have benefits, privileges and access to UNK student services, amenities and organizations, and can live on campus while taking most of their classes at CCC.
The one-year Pathway leads to a student having the option to fully enroll at UNK to begin their second year, after successful program completion.
“Part of the strong partnership between UNK and CCC involves our institutions looking at ways to improve service to students and the region by increasing access to higher education and creatively removing barriers to enrollment,” said UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen. “The goal of this program is to let students prove their ability and confidence in being successful in college, and ultimately strengthening Nebraska’s workforce.
“This is a ‘win’ for students, their families, and Nebraska,” Kristensen added. “The collaboration between community colleges and the university is a vital partnership for Nebraska.”
CCC President Matt Gotschall said: “UNK is an outstanding institution that has worked closely with CCC transfer students and faculty for decades. This program is just another example of the progressive and collaborative nature of UNK and CCC in providing additional opportunities for student and community success in Central Nebraska.”
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
The Pathway program is for first-time freshmen students under age 21 who apply to UNK but don’t meet university requirements and as a result would be denied admission. Denial could be for a number of reasons, primarily related to academic preparation and performance, reflected in their GPA and/or ACT scores. Performance requirements for assured admission to UNK are in the core course requirements (math, English, science, language); and also class rank (upper half of high school class), ACT composite of 20 or higher or SAT combined score total of 1030 or higher from verbal and math sections.
As many as 150 students each year who are denied assured admission to UNK could take advantage of the new Pathway program and will be informed of the option via letter.
In the one-year (fall-spring) program participants will co-enroll at CCC and UNK and must maintain full-time academic standing (combined 12 credit hours per semester). They will enroll in one UNK class each semester – Learning Skills 103 in the fall and a General Studies 188 Portal in the spring. At CCC, participants will enroll in three classes (9 credits) in highly transferrable (general studies) classes such as speech, English and math.
During the year, students can live in UNK residence halls and use UNK services such as the library, Learning Commons, Academic and Career Services and campus recreation facilities. They also can attend Loper Athletics contests and join UNK student organizations. They will be advised by professional staffs at both institutions.
“These students will be lucky enough to be both Central Raiders and Lopers at the same time,” said Tom Knott, UNK’s associate director for transfer transitions. “The collaboration on the student-support side within both our institutions will have positive impacts on students who desire a university experience and degree, and who need these two semesters to demonstrate and be confident in their academic ability. This option should be a good strategy for student success.”
CCC TO UNK SUCCESS
Historically, students transferring from CCC are retained and graduate at high levels of success. Since 2013, of the average 70 students each fall who transfer from CCC to UNK, 89 percent are retained to their second semester, and 75 percent continue on to the next year. CCC transfers graduate with an average 3.32 GPA. The number of CCC transfers to UNK is double the size of any other Nebraska community college.
Pathway participants must complete coursework at a minimum grade of a C (2.0) at CCC to have those credits transferred to UNK and have a cumulative CCC GPA of 2.0 at the end of the spring semester. UNK course credit will also be eligible for “reverse-transfer” to CCC. This means a student who completes enough credits for an associate degree while at UNK will be awarded that degree by CCC. Students in the program will fall under both institutions’ code of conduct. UNK will be the awarding institution for financial aid purposes.
The program begins this fall, with enrollment underway.
Answers to questions about the Pathway program can be found at unk.edu/pathway, or by calling Knott at 308-865-1570, tom.knott@unk.edu; or Janel Walton, CCC dean of enrollment management, 308-398-7405, janelwalton@cccneb.edu.
