UW-Green Bay to begin waiving the $50 application fee for Wisconsin Technical College transfers
Move removes barrier restricting students from completing applications
Green Bay, Wis.—Officials from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay have announced that the University will waive the $50 application fee for prospective students who wish to transfer directly from any and all Wisconsin Technical Colleges System (WTCS) institutions. The change is immediate and for students registering for either summer or fall 2020 terms and beyond.
“We know this fee is a barrier for some students, and there are a number of applications that are never completed because they are missing this fee,” explains Jennifer Jones, UW-Green Bay’s assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Services. “We hope the new policy will encourage students to transfer and complete their bachelor’s degree in on-campus or online programs at any of our four campuses. We know a bachelor’s degree will open more doors for these students.”
Jones says that when a student completes the UW System online application for UW-Green Bay, they simply need to select “Skip Payment” when prompted for the application fee payment. This policy will include applications currently being processed by UW-Green Bay for which the fee has not yet been paid. The fee, which typically covers application processing (software, wages and overhead) is being covered by other means.
“This isn’t just about UW-Green Bay,” Jones says. “Our region and state need more bachelor’s degree holders to meet the need of employers in our region and the jobs of the future. UW-Green Bay is committed to serving our community and making higher education more accessible is one way we can do that.”
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) President Jeffrey Rafn, agrees.
“Together, we are strengthening a partnership that benefits both our students and the community,” Rafn said. “This new advantage will immediately impact the lives of our students who dream of completing their bachelor’s degree. I commend UW-Green Bay for the great work it is doing in removing barriers and simplifying the transfer process. Making sure our students succeed is at the heart of everything we do at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and this is another step forward.”
UW-Green Bay has provided a number of paths for students to get from their technical college degrees to bachelor’s degree completion.
Jones says that the “traditional” path to a bachelor’s degree becomes less defined each day. Many students complete their technical college degree and then begin their career and establish themselves in the community, but they still eventually want the bachelor’s degree. UW-Green Bay has a variety of options, from in-person to online, and bachelor’s degree completion options at all four (Green Bay, Marinette, Manitowoc and Sheboygan) campuses.
Current transfer Rich McKay said he can see the virtues of the fee waiver and in his experience, transferring from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College was a seamless process.
“My experience at UW-Green Bay has been great,” McKay said. “And the transition between the two schools was seamless. I was able to visit with a UW-Green Bay admissions counselor right at NWTC. Advisor Hannah Fameree gave me a verbal ‘map’ of what I was doing at NWTC and what it would take to complete a bachelor’s degree at UW-Green Bay. The next time we met, she showed me the ‘map’ in writing, and all I had to do was coordinate with both advisors. McKay, a defense contractor who hopes to graduate in summer or fall of 2020, is an Organizational Leadership major with an emphasis in project management.
“I think the fee waiver is a great idea,” he said, “and another way the two schools are working together to improve the needs of students in the region.”
While short-term promotions have been used within the UW System to incentivize applications, UW-Green Bay officials believe that the University is the first UW System school to incorporate a blanket fee waiver for any student transferring directly from any WTCS institution.
This initiative is another in a long list of opportunities the University has put in place in response to its mission, “a commitment to a university that promotes access, career success, cross-discipline collaboration, cultural enrichment, economic development, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability…”
Other programs and initiatives include College Credit in High School, Phuture Phoenix, TurboCharge, A2B (Associate to Bachelor’s Degrees), articulation agreements for seamless transfer, Gateways to Phoenix Success (GPS), and others.
About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs to more than 8,700 students with campus locations in Green Bay, Marinette, Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Established in 1965 on the border of Green Bay, the University and its campuses are centers of cultural enrichment, innovation and learning. The Green Bay campus is home to one of the Midwest’s most prolific performing arts centers, a nationally recognized 4,000-seat student recreation center, D-I athletics, an award-winning nine-hole golf course and a five-mile recreational trail and arboretum, which is free and open to the public. This four-campus University transforms lives and communities through student-focused teaching and research, innovative learning opportunities, powerful connections and a problem-solving approach to education. UW-Green Bay’s main campus is centrally located, close to both the Door County resort area and the dynamic economies of Northeast Wisconsin, the Fox Valley region and the I-43 corridor. UW-Green Bay offers in-demand programs in science, engineering and technology; business; health, education and social welfare; and arts, humanities and social sciences. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
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