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A new partnership arrangement announced in December by Washington State Community College and Marietta College appears to be having some impact.
The dual admissions, resource sharing and housing agreements disclosed Dec. 19 offer a number of incentives for WSCC students to choose Marietta College over competing four-year colleges. Those include a 50 percent discount -- described as a scholarship -- for students who complete the two-year associate degree program at WSCC and transfer to Marietta College for the final two years of study to obtain bachelors degrees.
In the past six years, more than 100 WSCC students have transferred to Marietta College, WSCC marketing director Amanda Herb said.
Marietta College is already among the four-year colleges of preference for students coming out of WSCC two-year studies, but the college hopes the dual admissions program will give students at the two-year college an additional reason to choose Marietta College to complete their bachelors studies.
WSCC students over the past several years have most often selected Ohio University, Marietta College, The Ohio State University and West Virginia University in Parkersburg for transfers to complete four-year degrees, according to information from the National Student Clearinghouse obtained by WSCC.
A student paying full tuition at Marietta College--most get some form of financial aid, reducing the cost -- would pay $140,000 in basic tuition costs for a four-year degree. A student who obtained an associate degree at WSCC with two years of study at 15 credit hours per semester would pay $8,340 in full tuition costs for those two years, and if the same student went to Marietta College for the last two years of bachelors degree studies under the dual admission agreement, the final two years would cost $35,000. In all, without any consideration for financial aid, which is widely available, a dual admission student could get a Marietta College bachelors degree for $43,340, a savings of $96,660.
Herb said about 75 percent of WSCC students receive some form of financial aid, including federal grants based on need and institutional scholarships.
Brandon Nash of Belpre is a 22-year-old second year student at WSCC who said the dual admission program now has him more strongly considering Marietta College.
Nash, who wants to major in biology and then apply to medical school, said remaining in southeastern Ohio is an important consideration for him.
"I was considering Marietta College as a possibility, although I was definitely interested in Ohio University, but Marietta College seems better than ever now," he said Friday. "A big priority for me was staying close to home."
The rack-rate tuition and fees cost for in-state students posted by Ohio University is $11,896 per year. and room and board is $11,498 per year. Total cost of attendance per year for in-state students, without financial aid or other considerations, is $27,142.
Nash is starting the final semester of his second year at WSCC, taking biology, chemistry, calculus and some humanities courses. He said he'll be picking up a few classes at WSCC in the fall as well, but while he's doing that he can, under the dual admission agreement, also take an organic chemistry class from Marietta College at the WSCC rate.
He decided to study medicine, he said, because it's at the intersection of his two primary interests.
"I love science and I love education, and medicine combines those two areas," he said.
"The biggest influence in my decision will be staying close to home, and with this new arrangement, Marietta College looks like the best option," he said.
Marietta College, Herb said, is bearing the full cost of the revenue lost from providing the scholarships to WSCC students under the agreement.
"It demonstrates Marietta College's commitment to the transfer pathway," she said.
Tom Perry, executive director of communication and brand management for Marietta College, said the college anticipated the revenue effect of the agreement:
"… The expected increase in transfers from Washington State should make this a positive experience for everyone involved," Perry said.
Steve Lazowski, vice president for enrollment management at Marietta College, said his office has received a handful of inquiries about the dual admission and housing programs, even though they were announced just before Christmas break and classes resumed only this week.
Although the dual admission tuition scholarships apply only to students who transfer from WSCC after Jan. 1, Lazowski noted that most WSCC transfer students already at Marietta College have received tuition packages that are similar.
Perry said the dual admission program is designed for students who committed to attending WSCC for the first two years of their post-secondary education and does not mean that Marietta College is "altering our institutional model of recruitment for first-year freshmen."
"What we hope to do is offer them the option of being a dual admit and experience the amazing benefits of our contemporary liberal arts education," Perry said. "Of course, we hope after they get that experience, they will be more inclined to transfer to Marietta after they complete their degree at Washington State Community College."
Herb said it is too early in the process to gauge how many WSCC students will consider the housing option in the agreement, which is intended to help WSCC students burdened by long commutes and also to offer them the experience of living on campus and exposure to the Marietta College culture.
"While we know that we have students who will be interested in the benefits of residential housing at Marietta College, it is difficult to estimate the number who may elect to participate in the first year," Herb said. "We anticipate that the numbers will start out small and grow as the program evolves."
At a glance
Dual admission agreement, Washington State Community College and Marietta College
¯ Terms: Students from Washington State Community College who attain associate degrees can transfer to Marietta College to complete bachelor degree studies at a 50 percent tuition discount, effectively a $17,500 scholarship annually for up to three years.
¯ Extras: WSCC students can take up to six courses from Marietta College during their associate degree studies at the WSCC tuition rate.
¯ Resource sharing: WSCC students will have access to Marietta College resources, including labs and the library.
¯ Housing: WSCC students can room on the Marietta College campus and subscribe to the meals program at the same rate offered to the four-year college students.