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WAICU and WTCS sign historic transfer agreement

In July Dr. Rolf Wegenke, president of WAICU, and Dr. Morna K. Foy, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), signed the WAICU-WTCS Credit Course Transfer Agreement (CCTA).

Fifteen WAICU-member colleges and universities and all of Wisconsin’s technical colleges agreed to be part of the first cohort who will accept transfer credit for 14 WTCS courses within the subject areas of social and behavioral sciences, communications, natural sciences, and quantitative reasoning. For students who begin their college education at one of 16 Wisconsin Technical Colleges and wish to pursue a four-year degree at a Wisconsin private, nonprofit college or university, the CCTA will make the path smoother. This agreement complements existing partnerships that many Wisconsin technical colleges and Wisconsin private nonprofit colleges currently have in place.

Thanks to the willing partners at the WTC system office and an advisory task force of WAICU campus leaders, WAICU developed the agreement to help decrease students’ time to degree completion. WAICU and WTCS also negotiated course equivalencies that provide great value to transfer students by reducing or eliminating the need to spend extra time and money retaking courses.

“Wisconsin’s private colleges and universities have long been leaders in recognizing the rigor of a technical college education, and the value of creating transfer opportunities for our students,” Foy noted. “This agreement sets a strong foundation for the future by allowing all of our institutions – in both sectors – to make lifelong learning opportunities even clearer for students.”

Under the agreement, the participating WAICU-member colleges and universities will accept any or all the specified 14 WTCS courses, when offered, for direct transfer credit, not elective credit. The credit can count toward requirements for a bachelor’s degree provided the student earned a grade of “C” or better within the last ten years. Technical college students must also meet the admissions requirements of the private college.

“Streamlining the process to transfer credits from a technical college to a four-year private college opens doors for more students to earn bachelor’s degrees in Wisconsin,” Wegenke said. “Our private colleges have longstanding relationships with the technical colleges, and this new agreement will make a difference as the state strives to increase the level of educational attainment and improve our position in the competitive knowledge economy.”