Upperclassmen may see an influx of new faces this year as Miami University welcomes a growing number of community college graduates. The Office of Admission reported Miami has seen a 5 percent increase in applications from community college transfer students for the fall 2009-10 semester.
Many factors are contributing to this trend, said Brian Jicinsky, interim assistant director and transfer coordinator for the Office of Admission.
"Everyone has a different reason for choosing this path to Miami University," Jicinsky said. "Money is a major factor."
Compared to in-state four-year public colleges, community colleges save students an average of $2,000 to $4,000 per year in tuition, based on statistics reported by the College Board.
Chuck Knepfle, director of student financial assistance, agreed cost is a main reason many students begin their college education at a two-year institution.
"If you look at standard financial aid amounts such as in the Pell Grant, it isn't covering the cost of four-year universities like Miami, so because of their financial situation, a lot of really good students are going the community college route," Knepfle said.
In a speech July 14, President Barack Obama unveiled the American Graduation Initiative, which is expected to provide community colleges with an additional $12 billion with the goal of producing 5 million additional college graduates by 2020.
According to Knepfle, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and the Board of Regents have also played a major role in helping students receive a college degree at lower costs.
"Ohio isn't very high on the list when it comes to the number of residents who have a college degree," Knepfle said. "I think the governor is thinking, 'Let's get more people thinking about community college. It's inexpensive, and there are a lot of really good ones in Ohio.'"
Knepfle said the governor has also asked four-year colleges like Miami to welcome transfer students who have successfully completed a two-year degree.
As a result, four-year institutions are turning their attention to this previously untapped group of prospective students and are discovering these students tend to be very serious about academics.
"We're seeing some really outstanding students coming from community college because community colleges are seeking high quality students as well," Jicinsky said.
Miami is actively seeking transfer students from community colleges by increasing scholarship amounts and adding the merit-based Pathways and Phi Theta Kappa scholarships for these students, according to both Jincinsky and Knepfle.
"We want to attract and award students that have done well," Jicinsky said. "Having the scholarships, we can specifically target the high achieving, high ability transfer student."
The scholarships were developed to lower tuition costs for these students but to also to send a message to those who may not have been planning on applying to Miami.
"With these new programs, we want to say that Miami wants you, Miami is affordable and it's an option to consider," Knepfle said.
Jicinsky said Miami appreciates the transfer students, whether from a two or four-year institution.
"All transfer students bring a different perspective and an element of diversity that the university really values," Jicinsky said.
