LOGAN, W.Va.—- West Virginia University and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College came together Wednesday to launch the WVU Degree Up.
The program would help community and technical college students transition from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree.
Degree Up will provide automatic admission for qualifying community and technical college students across the WVU system. Students who are eligible will get a streamlined process for university admission, bypassing the WVU application and the admissions fees.
Leaders for both institutions signed the program’s first Memorandum of Understanding which states that students who are admitted and enrolled at Southern will automatically be admitted into WVU system as long as they stay in good standing.
WVU President Gordon Gee said, “We are positioning West Virginia’s higher education system for the future by offering more accessible pathways to attain a four-year degree.”
Degree Up also grants admission for students to WVU Morgantown, WVU Institute of Technology, WVU Potomac State College and WVU Online once students are admitted and enrolled in community and technical colleges that participate in the program.
The two institutions are working together to identify specific articulation agreements for the students wanting to be admitted to a specific degree that carries specific requirements.
Students who opt to be in the program will receive a host of benefits to help CTC students transition to WVU. Those include a physical WVU footprint on Southern’s campus to grant the students access to connect with a WVU representative in person, which will help meet each student’s needs. Students who are interested in the program can start enrolling in the Degree Up Partnership at WVU for Fall 2025.
Southern’s President Pamela Alderman said that she is proud to be the first partner with WVU on this program.
“This groundbreaking initiative demonstrates our commitment to making higher education accessible, affordable and achievable for our students,” Alderman said. “By removing barriers in the transfer process and providing personalized support on our campus, Degree Up empowers students to continue their academic journey seamlessly. Together, we equip students with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive in today’s competitive job market and to make a lasting impact on the future of West Virginia.”
Students will be receiving one-on-one coaching that will help with academic advising from WVU along with help transferring course credits, registering for classes, meeting deadline, exposure to academic programs of interest and making sure all program requirements are met, which include GPA and other prerequisites.