OCC inks transfer agreements with HBCUs in Pennsylvania, North Carolina

ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Onondaga Community College (OCC) has signed transfer agreements with two historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that it says give students a “new, seamless pathway” to a bachelor’s degree.

The agreements are with Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (50 miles west of Philadelphia) and Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

OCC students who complete their associate degree with a minimum 2.0 grade point average will be eligible to transfer to Lincoln University with junior status into programs in the School of Social Sciences and Behavioral Studies, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the School of Humanities.

OCC students who complete their associate degrees with a minimum 2.0 grade point average can enter JCSU with full junior standing “in most programs.”

Students who enroll in a full-time course load will receive at least $8,000 in aid, OCC noted.

“I am a big believer in both the power of education to transform lives and partnerships. There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we work together,” OCC President Warren Hilton said in a statement. “These transfer agreements with Johnson C. Smith University and Lincoln University will give our students valuable educational options which will change their lives and the lives of their families.”

Lincoln University, founded in 1854, is known as the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU, according to OCC’s announcement.

Johnson C. Smith University, established in 1867, offers 24 fields of study to nearly 1,500 students.