Starting a college journey at Washtenaw Community College is a smart choice.
With its low tuition, the financial value alone paves the way for students to start their new careers with less or no debt burden. Smaller class sizes provide easy access to instructors, meaning more one-on-one opportunities for deeper understanding.
WCC students know this value. Over the last five years alone, 16,761 WCC alumni enrolled in four-year colleges and universities throughout Michigan and across the country, taking the next stepping stone to high-demand, high-wage jobs and dreams fulfilled.
The majority of former students who transferred — 51 percent or 8,573 alumni — enrolled at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University.
In all, former WCC students enrolled in 1,147 institutions in all 50 states, including prestigious universities like Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and storied historical Black college and universities with the help of WCC’s HBCU Pathway.
“Thanks to exceptional faculty and academic programs, our students leave confident and well prepared for continued success whether they’re transferring to a four-year university to further their education or placed directly in the workforce,” said WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca.
Robotics engineer Fedor Dolgachev agrees. Dolgachev’s interest in robotics was sparked while a student at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. His courses at WCC helped him narrow down his career dreams.
After earning an Associate of Applied Science in Mechatronics in 2021, he transferred to Kettering University and pursued a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. He now works as a continuous improvement engineer, managing the automation processes at Net Shaped Solutions in Canton, an appliance, electrical and electronics manufacturer.
“I got a full-ride scholarship, so WCC was a great way to avoid lots of debt and give me time to save up for Kettering,” Dolgachev said. “Because of the Michigan Transfer Agreement, I was able to complete many gen ed [general education] classes before I transferred over to Kettering. This saved me a whole bunch of time and money.”
Dolgachev credits WCC for introducing him to the rigors of a college education and says instructors were always willing to help.
Approximately 58% of current WCC students indicate they intend to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a higher degree.
Transfer Questions Answered
Student advisors Brittany Middlebrook & Christie Pagel answered questions about transferring from WCC to other institutions.
Q: WHAT RESOURCES DOES WCC HAVE FOR TRANSFERRING?
A: Students at WCC have numerous transfer resources — Advising, the University Transfer Center, the Transfer to Success student club and many transfer events. We also regularly host colleagues from transfer institutions on WCC’s campus. Some students also find mitransfer.org useful.
Q: WHAT IS THE MICHIGAN TRANSFER AGREEMENT?
A: The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a reciprocity agreement among community colleges in Michigan and participating four-year institutions in the state. Earning the Michigan Transfer Agreement designation — comprised of 30 credits of general education coursework — is like having a safety net, provided the student transfers to an institution that accepts the MTA. In some cases, it totally fulfills the general education coursework that students would otherwise be expected to complete at their transfer institution.
Q: WILL MY CREDITS BE ACCEPTED AT THE SCHOOLS I WANT TO GO TO?
A: Many institutions have up-to-date internal transfer equivalency databases. Michigan Transfer Network is another great resource to check course equivalencies and each individual institution’s stance on the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA). Out-of-state schools may also have data loaded into a resource like Transferology. Students should reach out to their intended transfer institutions for guidance and to better understand requirements.
Q: IS IT OK TO NOT KNOW WHAT COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY I WANT TO TRANSFER TO?
A: While in a perfect world students know from the beginning of their college journey what they want to study and where, this is rarely the case. Earning the MTA can be helpful if the student ultimately transfers to a participating institution. Meeting regularly with your advisor and attending transfer events are essential ways to get information and make sure you’re taking the right courses and steps to meet your goals.
Q: CAN I TRANSFER OUT OF STATE?
A: Yes! We routinely assist students with navigating their intended transfer universities’ websites to ensure they’re able to connect with the transfer admissions team as soon as possible. It’s crucial to understand requirements.
Q: WHAT PROGRAMS ARE BEST FOR TRANSFERRING?
A: All WCC’s Associate in Arts and Associate in Science programs are transfer-friendly because they have the MTA embedded within them. WCC offers some programs that have ‘transfer’ in their names — the Liberal Arts Transfer program, the Business Administration Transfer program and the Pre-Engineering Science Transfer program, for example.
Q: WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS/ MAJORS AT FOUR-YEAR SCHOOLS?
A: Endless options! Try to meet with your advisor early and regularly to discuss goals — including your desired future program at the four-year level and desired future institution, etc.
This story appears in the Summer 2024 edition of WCC’s Launch magazine. Find it here.