For immediate release: June 12, 2024

New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee Smooths Path from Community College to 4-Year Degree

Students to Save Time and Money on College Degree

Boston, MA — Five colleges and universities have committed to simplifying transfer for students who earn associate degrees in the Community College System of New Hampshire and want to pursue a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year institution in New Hampshire.

Colby-Sawyer College, Franklin Pierce University, Keene State College, New England College and Plymouth State University have joined the New England Transfer Guarantee, a program of the New England Board of Higher Education. Interested students should visit the student portal offered by the Community College System of New Hampshire. This is the first year of New Hampshire’s participation.

The institutions have signed a memorandum of agreement joining the New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee and offering the following benefits to students:

  • Students equipped with an associate degree from a New Hampshire community college and who meet the required grade point average are guaranteed admission at the 4-year institution they choose.
  • The application fee and personal essay requirement are waived.
  • Transferring students are considered for institutional support in the form of grants and scholarships. This aid is usually available only to first-time first-year students.

New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee

The members of the New Hampshire steering committee, including representatives of the Community College System of New Hampshire played a key role in establishing the New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee, with community college leadership also signing the memoranda of agreement.

“The New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee provides a clear pathway for students who have earned an associate degree and who want to build on that credential to achieve a four-year degree,” said Mark Rubinstein, Chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire. “What is often a complex process for prospective transfer students can be replaced with clarity about students’ options and a streamlined admissions process.”

While numerous transfer agreements exist for New Hampshire community college students, the New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee outlines specific pathways with the group of participating receiving institutions and adds to the information available to students pursuing transfer.

The first students transferring under this agreement will begin baccalaureate coursework at the above institutions in the Fall 2024 term, with a larger group anticipated in Spring 2025.

“The Transfer Guarantee is a valuable development for students as well as for the ‘early adopter’ colleges and universities in a group that we hope to see grow. We welcome more four-year institutions to join the Transfer Guarantee to support students in reaching their goal of a bachelor’s degree,” said Loni Bordoloi Pazich, Senior Program Director, The Teagle Foundation.

Transfer Guarantee Students Making Significant Progress

The New England Transfer Guarantee was initiated in 2021 in the southern New England states, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island with support from the Teagle Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the Davis Educational Foundation. The Balfour Foundation has come on board to support the efforts to scale to northern New England.

The second year of data from the Guarantee, which was recently published, shows transfer students making significant progress toward their goals with their grade point averages increasing post-transfer and those who have graduated are doing so in efficient timeframes — the average time to degree was four semesters.

“These transfer students also bring their diverse life experiences with them to their new campuses, advancing institutions’ diversity and student success goals. Nearly half of the students participating in the program identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color,” said Michael K. Thomas, President and CEO, New England Board of Higher Education.

About the Transfer Guarantee

The New England Transfer Guarantee began in the southern New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in 2021. The program enables eligible community college graduates to transfer into participating four-year institutions – admission guaranteed. The implementation of pathways in the three northern New England states is underway—with first enrollments in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont expected in Fall 2024. The New England Board of Higher Education receives support from the Teagle Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Davis Educational Foundation, and the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation to carry out this work.

About the New England Board of Higher Education

NEBHE advances equitable postsecondary outcomes through convening, research, and programs for students, institution leaders and policymakers. Our vision is that everyone in New England will have lifelong access to affordable, high-value postsecondary education.