QCC signs guaranteed admissions agreement with Worcester Public Schools

Three college students sit at a picnic table with books on it in front of a grassy field in front of a brick college building

Photo I WBJ File Students at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester

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Worcester Public Schools high school graduates will now receive guaranteed admission to Quinsigamond Community College as the Worcester institutions have entered into a partnership to streamline the college admissions process.

Starting with this year’s Class of 2025, the partnership will award nearly 2,000 WPS students automatic admission to QCC. The Worcester school system enrolls 24,778 students with an average of 1,894 expected to graduate this year, according to a Thursday press release from QCC.

“This partnership with QCC is a transformative step in ensuring every scholar has a clear and attainable pathway to success,” Rachel Monárrez, superintendent of Worcester Public Schools, said in the release. “By removing barriers to college access, we are empowering our scholars to pursue meaningful futures with an equitable and affordable route to higher education.”

The partnership was spearheaded by Michelle Tufau Afriyie, QCC’s vice president for strategic enrollment & student engagement.

“This historic partnership between Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester Public Schools marks a transformative moment for our students and our community. Together, with the support of the Commonwealth’s MassEducate program, more students than ever before will have the opportunity to realize their dreams, build brighter futures, and strengthen the workforce of tomorrow,” QCC President Luis Pedraja said in the release.

QCC’s most recent collaborative effort follows the community college’s June guaranteed admissions agreement it signed with Worcester Polytechnic Institute in an effort to increase transfer accessibility, particularly for those looking to pursue STEM degrees. The agreement will afford admission for QCC students with at least a 3.3 GPA who have completed a college-level precalculus or calculus I course and a college-level laboratory science course.

The partnership also comes as the region’s community colleges are working to provide enhanced wraparound services to students as the institutions are experiencing an enrollment increase, due largely to the state’s MassEducate program, which covers the full cost of tuition and fees for community college students.

Between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, QCC saw its full-time equivalent enrollment increase by 6.96% and its headcount increase by 7.18%, both the largest over-the-year increases in at least the past 10 years, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

With a full-time equivalent enrollment of 3,737 in fall 2023, QCC is the third-largest college or university in Central Massachusetts when ranked by FTE, according to data collected by WBJ’s Research Department.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.