Beyond Articulation-Community College Transfer Pathways

2023
Lone Star College
www.lonestar.edu
TexasDalia Sherif
Affordability, Flexibility, Student Services
Lone Star College has initiated transfer pathways with other community colleges to enable students to attend Lone Star’s bachelor’s degree programs. The emergence of baccalaureate program offerings in community colleges has heralded a transformative shift in higher education, expanding transfer opportunities for students beyond traditional four-year universities. Students can finish their associate’s degree and transfer to another community college to finish their bachelor’s degree at a greatly reduced cost. The decision to transfer may be because their college may not yet offer bachelor’s degree or that their college doesn’t have the desired baccalaureate program. Articulation between colleges is an innovative initiative that facilitates seamless bachelor’s transfer pathways between colleges and opens doors to collaboration between community colleges themselves. These articulations allow for data sharing and gives each college a list of prospective students who are ready to transfer with no additional recruitment costs incurred. Lone Star’s articulation agreement excludes transfer to any programs that may present direct competition between the two colleges, hence, maintaining collaborative relationships for the best interest of all parties involved.

Regardless of the benefits of this type of articulation process, the implementation of these “non-standard” agreements presents unique challenges. One notable hurdle involves navigating the intricate legal landscape inherent in establishing transfer agreements between community colleges offering baccalaureate programs. Negotiating terms that satisfy the academic standards and regulatory requirements of both institutions necessitates meticulous coordination between legal teams. Overcoming these challenges requires the creation of two separate agreements, one designating the first college as the transferring institution and the second as the receiving four-year institution, and vice versa.

This articulation process not only increases enrollment into the baccalaureate programs, but it does so with minimal marketing dollars utilized. Typically, the cost per lead for marketing purposes is $200-400 for campaigns involving television/radio spots or billboards, underscoring the significant cost savings associated with this approach. This innovation transfer pathway underscores the considerable value and potential of college-to-college articulations in revolutionizing higher education access and affordability.
Articulation Agreements, Transfer Pathways, Student Services