A record number of students are choosing to earn degrees at university centers on community college campuses instead of at traditional four-year universities. One reason is that public universities have already enrolled far more students than the state has funded. But it’s only one reason. Some students also are finding that university centers can be more flexible, more affordable, and more convenient than some traditional four-year schools.
That’s a priceless combination for students who are working and caring for a family. So-called place-bound or time-bound students have to fit college between commitments to family and work. They can’t leave their spouses, children and career to travel across the state or live in a dorm. These students must take classes at the times and in the concentrations that best fit their busy lives. University centers, such as CWU-Lynnwood on the campus of Edmonds Community College, allow students to tailor their schedules to their lives instead of the other way around.
Many of the state’s comprehensive universities are partnering with community colleges to provide Washington citizens the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree. Some of these partnerships include The Evergreen State College at Tacoma Community College, Eastern Washington University at Clark College (in Vancouver) and Western Washington University at Everett Community College. CWU partners with community colleges in six cities around the state, including Edmonds Community College.
University centers allow students to complete all four years of a baccalaureate education on a campus in their own community. They earn a two-year associate’s degree from the community college. Then they’re ready to take upper-division courses at the university center.
University centers are affordable as well as convenient. Yearly tuition for a full-time student at a university center runs about $4,300. How does that compare to other institutions in the area? City University is about $4,500; the University of Washington is about $4,800; Seattle University is about $21,300. Students attending university centers also save money by living at home. Those on residential campuses have to pay for room and board as well as the cost of tuition and fees. It’s easy to see why working students who are watching their budgets – especially those with families – would choose a university center.
University centers are also a good investment for state budget writers trying to figure out how to accommodate the baby “boomlet” of high school graduates now seeking admission to public universities. University centers use their close partnerships with community colleges to provide high-quality, high-demand university programs all over the state, while holding down capital and operating costs. By sharing facilities and staff with community college partners, university centers deliver a top-notch, upper-division education economically. At about $7,600 per full-time student, the cost to the state is well below other upper-division-only operations.
Students know that university centers can save them time as well as money. Good communication and cooperation between university and community-college partners often means students don’t lose hard-earned credits when they transfer from one to the other. Since the 1970s, community colleges and CWU have worked together to merge the curriculum seamlessly among schools. The result is smooth study pathways for students.
A recent report by public colleges and universities showed that students transferring to university centers on community college campuses actually completed their bachelor degrees just as efficiently as students who transferred to universities’ main campuses. One reason for efficient student progress is efficient delivery of courses. Students often start the upper-division degree programs in specific groups, or cohorts. The groups take the same courses in the same order. That makes it a little easier for university centers to ensure that courses are available to these cohorts when they’re needed.
Working adults aren’t the only ones who’ve figured out the benefits of university centers. The National Collaborative for Postsecondary Education Policy is helping to identify efficient strategies for delivering higher education in Washington. The group’s research found that co-locating universities and community colleges is an effective way to create opportunities for people to earn college degrees. The study confirmed that close relationships with partner community colleges allow university centers to transfer credits more efficiently. The research also found that university centers keep costs down by sharing capital and administrative resources, and eliminating the need to duplicate many student and academic support services.
There’s no doubt that some students attend university centers because there is so little room on traditional residential university campuses in Washington. But many more students make non-traditional campuses their first choice. This less expensive, more flexible option is just what many students are looking for, particularly those whose first commitment is to their family or job. Legislative budget writers seeking strategies to make higher education more affordable and more accessible need look no further than university centers on the state’s community college campuses, where universities are reaching out to serve Washington citizens.
Jerilyn S. McIntyre is president of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, which has university centers in Lynnwood, Pierce County, Des Moines, Yakima, Wenatchee and Moses Lake.
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