WPI pens guaranteed admission agreement with Manchester Community College

Students walk through a quad on a college campus with academic buildings behind them

Photo | Courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute The campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute has reached an agreement with Manchester Community College, affording MCC graduates guaranteed admission to the Worcester university given they meet program criteria.

The newly signed agreement is part of a joint institutional effort to make transferring more accessible to students, especially those seeking bachelor’s degrees in STEM.

“This collaboration supports the talent and economic development of our collective regions by creating new opportunities to meet workforce demands.” WPI President Grace Wang said in the release.

To qualify for secured WPI admission, MCC students must obtain their associate degree with a 3.3 or higher GPA and have completed a college-level precalculus or Calculus 8 course and a college-level laboratory science course. For those students who have not yet earned their associate degree but have completed the required coursework and hold a minimum 3.0 GPA may be granted admission to transfer to a WPI bachelor’s degree program within any of the university’s schools, according to a Friday press release from WPI.

Under the agreement, transfer students must enroll in a semester-long transfer transition program and will secure a summer undergraduate course tuition waiver for one course taken during each of their two summers at WPI.

“Encouraging students to begin their science and engineering degrees at Manchester Community College with a clear pathway to WPI makes college more accessible and affordable for many students,” MCC President Brian Bicknell said in the release.

Admitted students will automatically be able to utilize WPI’s Heebner Career Development Center and will be assigned an advisor through the university’s Academic Advising Office and a staff liaison in the Office of Undergraduate Studies to support their successful matriculation.

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