VCCS News Releases

Susan Hayden
Director of Public Relations
shayden@vccs.edu
(804) 819-4979 or
(804) 819-4961
(804) 819-7468 (fax)

Carol Patterson
Asst. Vice Chancellor for System Communications
cpatterson@vccs.edu
(804) 819-4949 or
(804) 819-4961
(804) 819-7468 (fax)

Virginia Commonwealth University signs guaranteed admission agreement with                             

Virginia Community College System

RICHMOND – Virginia Commonwealth University President Eugene Trani and Virginia Community College System Chancellor Glenn DuBois have approved an agreement that guarantees admission to VCU for community college graduates. Those who qualify will have completed a transfer-oriented associate’s degree program with at least a 2.5 cumulative grade-point-average (GPA).

In addition, Dr. Trani announced that VCU will offer 10 competitive need-based scholarships for VCCS students with at least a 2.75 GPA. The scholarships will cover tuition and fees at the four-year university.

The guaranteed admission builds on the “very solid relationship that VCU has with Virginia’s community colleges,” Dr. Trani said. Besides expanding the numbers of community college graduates and the transfers to VCU, the agreement provides wider opportunities for students to plan a coordinated higher education career, he added.

“This gives community college students one more avenue to success,” added Chancellor DuBois. “VCU is a tremendous partner, especially in the metropolitan Richmond area. We look forward to working with them even more closely for the benefit of our students and their families.”

The statewide agreement builds upon existing regional agreements between VCU and Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave and Rappahannock Community College in Glenns and Warsaw. The signing of the agreement expands this same opportunity to all Virginia community college students.

The guaranteed admission agreement is one of several statewide agreements adopted this year with various public and private senior institutions, including Longwood University, Sweet Briar College, the School of Engineering and the School of Agriculture and Life Science at Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia. Work on additional statewide agreements is also under way, says Dr. Monty Sullivan, vice chancellor for academic services and research for the VCCS.

Students interested in transferring under the VCU agreement should declare their interest in enrolling at VCU prior to graduation from a community college. VCU will accept the student with junior standing and guarantee acceptance of all transferable credits from a transfer-oriented program.  VCU will transfer up to 63 community college credits. The community college graduates in the program will be given the same consideration as VCU students for admission to competitive programs as well as for registration, financial aid, student housing, and other opportunities available to VCU students.

Acceptance into some schools at VCU is competitive; thus guaranteed admission into the university does not imply admission into those programs without further acceptance into that specific program.

Interested students should contact their counselors for assistance in participating in the guaranteed admission program with VCU and for choosing courses that will best prepare them for their intended majors there.