Reverse transfer helps students advance

New agreements with James Madison University will offer select Blue Ridge Community College and Lord Fairfax Community College students a new path to completion of their associate degrees and a boost to completing their baccalaureate programs of study.

Reverse transfer agreements negotiated with the two local community colleges will allow certain courses taken at JMU to transfer to the students’ respective community college to complete associate degrees and fulfill JMU General Education, or core curriculum, requirements.

Working closely with their respective community college transfer coordinator, students may qualify to earn course credit for certain courses completed at JMU in order to earn a transferable associate degree from BRCC or LFCC.

The reverse transfer path is available for students in any program of study.

“The new agreements could help a student move along in quicker progression to the goal of attaining an associate degree from the community college and, eventually, a degree from JMU,” said Dr. Teresa A. Gonzalez, vice provost for academic development at JMU. “We are delighted to collaborate with our partners at BRCC and LFCC to offer this pathway for students.”

“Countless students benefit from the courses offered at community colleges prior to transferring to a four-year university,” said Dr. John A. Downey, president of Blue Ridge Community College. “In many cases, it is to the student’s benefit to finish a transfer oriented associate’s degree prior to transfer. However, for some students, immediate transfer to a university after completing 45 or more credits at a community college is socially or academically advantageous. In those cases, we believe that this reverse transfer agreement will allow them to better document the achievement they have already earned by transferring credits back to the community college from the university and achieving their associate degree.”

“We help students achieve the credits needed to garner an associate degree which sets the stage for greater success in their future educational and employment endeavors,” said Dr. Chris Coutts, vice president of academic and student affairs at Lord Fairfax Community College. “A completed associate degree pushes a student further along the path to the bachelor’s degree by giving them the general education requirements they need. Since students have already put forth much effort to acquire a relatively large number of college credits, with the right guidance from the community college and university, they can package those credits to gain a credential. This is a positive outcome for all.”

# # #

March 16, 2015