UNCW transfers made easy
Aug 11, 2021Rockingham Community College students now have a clear plan of action if they would like to attend UNCW after obtaining their Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree.
Dubbed the Pathway to Excellence, the agreement between RCC and UNCW offers guaranteed admission to The University of North Carolina at Wilmington for students who complete an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science with a cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in transferable, college-level coursework.
“UNCW Chancellor Jose Sartarelli reached out to us a few months ago about this special articulation agreement,” said RCC President Dr. Mark Kinlaw. “I am really excited about what we can do for students here, to transfer to UNCW. This is a very fast-growing university in the UNC system. It’s a fantastic university and a great option for our students. I am incredibly grateful to the chancellor.”
Sartarelli spoke to the RCC Board of Trustees via Zoom during the board’s July meeting.
“We’re very proud of our Pathways to Excellence program. Collaborating with great partners like you to make higher education more affordable and accessible is an important part of our mission,” he said. “Transfer students truly thrive at UNCW, thanks to great advising, campus resources, and a welcoming community.”
In that vein, UNCW is providing a transfer student success coordinator to meet with RCC students throughout each semester, working with RCC’s advising staff to help students create their transfer pathways.
“This is a unique agreement because they also have some extensive scholarship opportunities for our students to transfer,” Kinlaw said.
“Putting students first has been a part of our culture since our very beginning when we were founded in 1947. UNCW will welcome one of the largest classes in its history this fall. We expect to have more than 18,000 students enrolled,” Sartarelli said.
“UNCW has added more than 14 programs in the past four years, including the nation’s first bachelor’s degree in Coastal Engineering, and plans are in the works for Cybersecurity, Intelligence Systems Engineering, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and other degrees that will support North Carolina’s workforce development in critical areas,” he continued.
The chancellor noted that the magazine “U.S. News & World Report” ranks UNCW as one of the top 100 public universities in the nation.
“UNCW is eager to continue recruiting great students to our diverse and exciting university and we know this partnership with Rockingham Community College will help us do just that,” Sartarelli said. “I know that you very much value the quality of your students, both curriculum as well as other students. We want to welcome them into UNCW as their new family. I’m very excited about the prospects for the future. Together I think we can build a much greater and better path for our students.”
The first step for RCC students joining the UNCW Pathway to Excellence is to complete the admissions process at www.uncw.edu/admissions/rockingham-community-college-pathway-to-excellence-program.html.
For more information, email admissions@uncw.edu. UNCW is the latest partnership that RCC has forged with a four-year university. Transfer partnerships are already in place for the UNC Greensboro Spartan Passage, the East Carolina University Pirate Promise, the NC A&T State University Aggie Plus, and the Lees-McRae College Guaranteed Admission Program. For more information on any transfer program, please call 336-342-4261 ext. 2333.