University of Connecticut Offers Guaranteed Admission

The University of Connecticut will guarantee admission to students from all twelve of the states community colleges who maintain at least a B average and earn an associates degree.

The University of Connecticut announced Wednesday that it was expanding it's guaranteed admissions program to include all twelve of the states community colleges. The program, which was started three years ago as a test in only three of the community colleges, will speed admission to Uconn for students meeting the requirements. Any community college student who maintains a B average and earns an associates degree will be assured of one of the hard to come by spots on the Uconn campus. The Hartford Courant reports that the program will not only help students gain admission but save them money as well.

The new agreement eliminates the expensive and time-consuming prospect of having to take a course twice, not to mention the cost savings of being able to get a four-year degree from UConn for thousands less. A full-time student at a community college spends about $2,700 a year for tuition and fees, about one-third the cost at UConn.

The program also eases the paperwork and red tape that a transferring student might face. Students who meet the criteria will be offered counseling and advice on course choices to make their transition seamless.

"I think the agreement is fabulous because it removes all the institutional obstacles that students face in trying to transfer to the University of Connecticut. It leaves them challenged where they should be: in the classroom," said Amanda McCarthy, 27, a single mother at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich who plans to major in environmental science at UConn.

They hope to have 350 to 400 students involved in the program within the next five years.