The Foreign Service Journal, December 2021

82 DECEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT FROM THE DECEMBER 2020 FSJ EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT College Options: Community College with a Guaranteed Transfer Program BY FRANCESCA HUEMER KELLY T here are some economic and other advantages in spending your first two years at a community col- lege that offers a guaranteed transfer to an accept- able four-year university. … Public and even some private universities partner with certain community colleges, accepting transfer students after two years if they maintain a certain grade point average and fulfill other requirements. This initiative has elevated the status of participating community colleges, and two-year colleges such as Montgomery College (linked to the University of Maryland and other institutions) and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA, linked to a variety of VA universities) are now fairly competitive in the quality and range of their course offerings. … The guaranteed transfer system is also appealing because, in two years’ time, you won’t have to go through the usual transfer application process, which can be just as stressful as the freshman application process. As long as you meet the requirements dictated by your eventual four- year institution, you’re guaranteed admission. … If this sounds intriguing, visit the “Transfer Student Admission” pages of a few of your favorite four-year universities to determine if they offer guaranteed transfer programs from certain community colleges. You can also search under the term “articulation agreement,” which is the agreement between a community college and a four-year college that paves the way for easy transfer. Be aware, however, that some articulation agreements include guaranteed transfer, while others do not. Francesca Huemer Kelly, the spouse of a retired Foreign Service of- ficer and former ambassador, has worked as a freelance writer and an editor, and is a co-founder of Tales from a Small Planet and a former FSJ AFSA News editor. The complete article appeared in the December 2020 FSJ .