Northern Oklahoma College’s Gateway Program, which provides a relatively seamless transition for students transferring to Oklahoma State University, was highlighted as a Oklahoma’s best partnership for promoting transfer students’ graduation.
As part of its “Raise the Bar: Attaining College Excellence and Equity initiative,” the U.S. Department of Education hosted a summit at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in Annadale, Virginia with 200 higher education leaders on making it easier for students to transfer from one college to another, in turn helping them save time and money.
The Department is also releasing groundbreaking new data showing which two- and four-year institutions are best promoting transfer students’ success and highlighting the most productive transfer partnerships between community college and bachelors’ degree institutions in the country.
NOC to OSU transfers, called a dyad in the report, that result in students graduating with a bachelor’s degree within eight years, are the highest dyad transfers in the state of Oklahoma.
Of the approximately 527 NOC students in the study that transferred to Oklahoma State University, 39 (7%) graduated with a bachelor’s degree within 8 years.
While a 7% graduation rate may seem low, the average rate for the top five dyads in the nation was 4.5% and, when adjusting for outliers, the national transfer-graduation average for top-dyads was 6.98%.
In either case, NOC to OSU transfers that result in a bachelor’s degree are the highest in Oklahoma and above the national average for top-dyad transfers.
The difficulty students face in transferring between colleges is one of the most significant obstacles to helping many more students earn college degrees. While nearly 40% of students transfer at some point along their postsecondary journeys, they lose more than 40% of their credits on average when they move between schools. This costs students time, money, and too often the credentials they seek to earn.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Our current higher education system stacks the deck against community college students who aspire to earn four-year degrees—denying acceptance of their credits, forcing them to retake courses, and ultimately making their educational journeys longer and costlier than they need to be.
Raise the Bar seeks to uplift colleges committed to inclusivity, equity, and excellence, rather than arbitrary rankings, high costs, and privilege. Raise the Bar encourages state and institutional leaders to ensure students of all backgrounds can earn a college degree or certificate and go on to a better life.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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