CSU: Front Range CC, Colorado State University team up on dual-enrollment transfer program

Signs for the Front Range Community College are pictured on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 in Fort Collins, Colo. A new partnership between Front Range Community College and Colorado State University is designed to provide students with demonstrated financial need the best of what both schools offer, officials with each said Monday. The Ram Transfer Academy provides a new dual-enrollment option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree, giving them access to services and courses at both schools. Eleven students have already been enrolled through a pilot program that began in August, and 50 more will be admitted next month for the start of the spring 2025 semester, said Kayla Antony, FRCC's associate vice president of enrollment and retention. The program is designed to increase college access and success by lowering the total cost of earning a bachelor's degree while providing many of the auxiliary benefits of attending a four-year college to those starting out at any of FRCC's three campuses. Tuition and fees will be based on the location of the courses they are taking, Anton told the Coloradoan on Monday, providing a substantial discount on the cost of earning a bachelor's degree from CSU for those starting out at FRCC. Transfer admission to CSU is guaranteed for program participants who have completed 24 or more credit hours at FRCC while maintaining a grade-point average of 2.0 or better with no grades of D or F. Tuition and fees for an in-state student taking a standard course load of 15 credit hours is $2,858.00 per semester at FRCC's Larimer Campus in Fort Collins, according to the college's website . Tuition and fees for that same student at CSU would be $6,690.88 per semester, according to its website . The savings would be even greater for an out-of-state student: $10,733.00 per semester at FRCC vs. $17,535.29 at CSU. How the dual-enrollment program works Students in the program will receive student IDs from both FRCC and CSU and have immediate access to student services at both, including academic support, student organizations and legal services, the CSU Health and Student Recreation centers, and free admission to CSU athletic events, according to a story in Source, an online publication of CSU's marketing and communications team. Each student will also be assigned a student success coach and academic advisor and be enrolled in a student success course created by the two schools to help students complete the program and earn a bachelor's degree. The success course will be offered in a remote-hybrid format, with in-person sessions offered at both schools. Once admitted to the program, students must enroll in nine or more credit hours each semester at FRCC while maintaining a grade-point average of 2.0 or better with no D or F grades. Students must also complete English Composition and Mathematics courses within their first 12 credit hours and meet with their academic advisor and student success coach once each semester, the Source story said. Students must be in a program of study that is transferrable to a bachelor's degree program at CSU, Antony said. Some courses at FRCC designed for students to earn certificates and other professional certifications might not qualify. FRCC students choosing to take a course at CSU before they formally transfer will have to pay the per-credit rates for tuition that applies to their residency status for that course, Antony said. Students must apply for financial aid to be eligible Priority is given to newly enrolled students interested in pursuing a bachelor's degree who qualify for federal Pell Grants, as determined through their Free Application for Federal Student Aid , the news release said. Next up in priority order will be current FRCC students eligible for Pell Grants, based on financial need, with fewer than 15 completed credit hours and a 3.0 grade-point average. Enrollment in the program will be ramped up to accommodate up to 300 students at a time, Antony said. Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com , x.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news . This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Front Range CC, CSU team up on dual-enrollment transfer program