By OCCC Media

NORMAN – The University of Oklahoma announced new agreements to create transfer pathways for students to earn bachelor’s degrees for select majors. The university has signed transfer agreements with Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC), Tulsa Community College (TCC) and Cameron University (CU). 

“We have incredible students in our state who are working hard to achieve their goals and complete their degrees,” said Jeff Blahnik, senior associate vice president of the Division of Enrollment Management. “We want to do everything in our power to create a transfer process that is seamless. We want to make sure all students feel empowered and that they can thrive at OU.” 

As part of the new transfer pathways, OU agreed to a streamlined transfer pathway from OCCC, TCC and CU. To provide pre-transfer and transfer students with a clear and efficient transfer experience, each pathway will identify required coursework for select degrees. Under the agreements, students transferring to OU as part of the transfer pathway will benefit from the collaboration of the universities to create a clear path to a bachelor’s degree. 

“At OCCC, we believe everyone should have access to and opportunities for continuing their education,” said OCCC Interim President Dr. Jeremy Thomas. “Our partnership with OU opens more doors for our students who wish to continue their education at an exceptional four-year university. Together, we’re able to steward incredible professionals of all ages into the Oklahoma workforce.”  

“This partnership benefits TCC students and graduates by creating stronger and more supported bachelor’s degree pathways,” said Dr. Angela Sivadon, TCC senior vice president & chief academic officer. “As the state’s largest provider of transfer students, TCC remains committed to ensuring students have a seamless transfer between institutions. We are excited to work with OU to provide early transfer advising and transfer planning to help students reach their goals.”

In light of the new agreements, OU, OCCC, TCC and CU have made a shared commitment to: 

·      Increase awareness of educational and student support opportunities 

·      Support transfer students to complete their associate degrees 

·      Provide academic guidance to increase applicability of transfer credits to degree programs 

·      Create a more seamless experience for students interested in completing their bachelor’s degree at OU 

“We very much appreciate the opportunity to partner with OU to decrease barriers for our engineering students at Cameron. Many students want to earn beyond our associate degree and these agreements provide them a seamless, clear pathway to do that,” said Ronna Vanderslice, CU’s vice president for Academic Affairs. “In Cameron’s case, partnering with OU in our engineering program makes the degree more affordable and allows students to stay in southwest Oklahoma longer to complete coursework and internships with local businesses.”

As part of the agreement, OU will also support transfer students by providing them with scholarship and financial aid information through the OU Student Financial Center and MidFirst Bank MoneyCoach program, and by assisting transfer students with advising services. 

To learn more about this opportunity and transferring to OU, visit the admissions page.