FVTC, Ripon College Sign Agreement Allowing Credit Transfer For Associate’s Degrees | Post-Crescent

GRAND CHUTE – Ripon College signed a new credit transfer agreement with Fox Valley Technical College on Thursday.

The “articulation agreement” means that students who complete a two-year university transfer associate’s degree at FVTC can transfer to one of Ripon College’s undergrad programs as a junior with their general education credits completed. This agreement applies to both associate’s of science and associate’s of arts degrees.

The new deal “capitalizes on our close proximity and our shared missions to create practical and affordable opportunities for students to succeed in higher education,” said FVTC president Chris Matheny. Ripon College is about 40 miles southwest of FVTC’s campus in the town of Ripon.

Lakeland University, Marian University, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh have similar agreements with FVTC, according to FVTC’s website. Meanwhile, other colleges and Universities of Wisconsin campuses also allow some technical associate’s degrees from FVTC to transfer into certain four-year degree programs.

University transfer program is meant to help students save on the cost of a degree

Currently, 377 students are enrolled in the university transfer program, which began in 2023. Two of them, Aanchal Sapkota and Connor Pitterle, said they enrolled in the program to save money and have more options for their general education.

The program is “a cheap way to get started on a degree,” Sapkota said.

FVTC’s 2024-25 tuition rate for an associate degree is $149.50 per credit for Wisconsin residents, according to the school website. The university transfer degree program is 60 credits, which costs about $9,000 at this year’s FVTC tuition rate. Tuition at Ripon College is $25,800 per semester, but the school has programs for free and price-matched tuition for lower-income Wisconsin families.

Pitterle said he appreciated the ability to explore different classes while at FVTC, saying he’d recommend the university transfer degree to students still figuring out their next move.

“It’s not like you’re full-blown committing to any type of career,” he said, adding that he’s interested in chemistry and mathematics.

Meanwhile, Sapkota plans to go into nursing, and said she’s already had the chance to get “hands-on training” as a first-year college student.

Transfer highlights working with nontraditional students and retaining local talent

Creating articulation agreements like the one with Ripon is a multistep process. Matheny said it involves “getting our faculty, our student services folks together, making sure that we’ve got the advising and the curriculum aligned, and then we can provide that changed pathway.”

Meanwhile, Ripon College president Victoria Folse said that “accepting and working with transfer students is important” for her school, noting that “what we call ‘nontraditional students’ are becoming much more traditional.”

It’s also a key part of being able to keep talent in northeastern Wisconsin, Matheny said: “The real mission of this is to … take an individual who comes to us, have them get a great education, complete a baccalaureate degree and then go back into your local workforce.”

Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.

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FVTC, Ripon College sign agreement allowing credit transfer for associate’s degrees, Post-Crescent.