October 5, 2016

by Lisa Proulx

Manchester – Great Bay Community College (GBCC) and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) renewed an eight year Dual Admission agreement on September 22, 2016.  The academic articulation agreement allows students who have completed an associate degree program at Great Bay Community College to seamlessly complete their bachelor’s degree at SNHU without additional admissions requirements.

The renewal marks a longstanding partnership between the two institutions.  In August of 2009, the first dual admission agreement was signed offering students access to an affordable pathway from associate to bachelor’s degree.

“The renewal of this agreement with SNHU further shows our shared commitment to providing students from New Hampshire and beyond access to a four-year degree at one of our main partner institutions” said GBCC President Will Arvelo. According to Diane King, Center for Teaching and Learning Coordinator at Great Bay who facilitated the agreement, participation in the dual admission agreement can take place at the time of the student’s acceptance to Great Bay or any time prior to graduation from Great Bay.  Course transfer is not restricted to specific programs either from GBCC or SNHU.

 “All courses transfer directly from a GBCC program into an SNHU program,” said King. “All academic course work in which a student has earned a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) or grade of C- or higher in individual courses is fully transferable from Great Bay”.  Students must enroll at SNHU within one year of completing their program at Great Bay.  “Ultimately, transferring up to 90 community college credits significantly defrays the overall cost of a private institution and offers a seamless pathway to a bachelor’s degree.” 

In addition to the long term cost savings on tuition that the program affords, Dual Admission also allows prospective SNHU students to secure the curriculum requirements of the academic year in which they are accepted. SNHU Transfer Counselors meet with students enrolled in the program at regular intervals to advise on course selection and provide program information. Course-by-course, classes from Great Bay are transferred to their content equivalents at SNHU making sure students invest in new course content when they transfer.

“The joint advising aspect of this partnership is key,” said Deanna Friedman, Director of Advising at Great Bay, “and Southern New Hampshire University really has the best student’s interest at heart. They follow each student from their start at Great Bay right through to when they transition to ensure maximum transfer of coursework.” 

Shannon Collins, a 2015 graduate of GBCC and 2016 graduate of SNHU, is one of many students who used Dual Admission to maximize credits at the Community College.  With the help of the Office of Transfer Admission and transfer counselor, Monique Dalphond, she was able to transfer upwards of 90 community college credits. Shannon currently works as a graduate assistant in the Academic Advising Office while she is enrolled in a SNHU graduate program.

“SNHU helped me figure out a plan to take as many classes as possible during my three years at Great Bay so I would only have one year remaining to graduate at SNHU with my bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I am so grateful for this opportunity and the amazing attention to detail to make sure I could get the most out of both institutions.”

As an added program benefit, students who enroll as full-time undergraduate day students may be eligible for up to $15,000 in renewable merit scholarships, including a $3,000 regional community college scholarship. Students who have graduated and wish to study through the College of Online and Continuing Education may be eligible for a 10% tuition reduction. 

Students transferring from Great Bay may enroll at SNHU in the full-time, day program in Manchester, online or through any of its continuing education centers, which offer evening, weekend and online courses at campuses in Portsmouth, Manchester, Nashua, Salem, NH and Brunswick, ME.

To learn more about the Dual Admission Agreement between Great Bay Community College and Southern New Hampshire University, contact the Advising Center at Great Bay Community College at (603) 427-7728 or e-mail [email protected]