Mercer County Community College President Deborah Preston (l) and College of New Jersey President Kathryn Foster (r) shake hands after formalizing an agreement that creates a process for associate degree graduates to seamlessly transfer to TCNJ beginning in the fall of 2023. (Photo: Marcya Roberts)

The presidents of Mercer County Community College and The College of New Jersey signed an agreement this week to streamline access to four-year degrees for students who have received associate degrees at the community college.

Mercer County Community College President Deborah Preston and College of New Jersey President Kathryn Foster gathered with higher education faculty and staff, foundation board members, trustees, and community members for a celebratory signing event formalizing a new agreement that creates a process for the community college’s graduates to seamlessly transfer to College of New Jersey degree programs.

Beginning in the fall of 2023, associate degree graduates in good academic standing who’ve maintained the required grade point average and satisfactorily completed the application for admission will automatically be granted admission to The College of New Jersey.

“The articulation agreement that we sign today provides the opportunity to transform the lives of Mercer County residents,” said Foster. “The quality education at Mercer County Community College prepares students well for TCNJ … and Mercer students will now be able to transfer seamlessly to this high-quality four-year college.”

Preston said the agreement is about finding solutions that work for our students. “I know all the work that went into making this agreement happen, and I think that speaks volumes for the respect that the institutions have for each other and for the great work we are both doing in putting our students first,” she said.

Mercer County Community College and The College of New Jersey have worked together in the past. Over the past four years, more than 220 Mercer County Community College students have enrolled at The College of New Jersey as full-time students. Two out of three Mercer County Community College students who apply to the college are admitted.

A total of 796 courses at the community college will now be transferable as regular courses, not electives, when Mercer County Community College students move on to The College of New Jersey.

College officials are also looking at the possibility of housing Mercer County Community College students at The College of New Jersey to make the transition from the associate degree program to the bachelor’s degree program smoother.