I'm considering starting at a community college in Massachusetts and then transferring to a university for engineering. Does anyone have experience with the engineering transfer programs? How smoothly does the process work, and are there specific colleges you'd recommend?
Absolutely, it's common for students to begin their studies at a community college and then transfer to a university, especially if they're interested in saving on tuition or getting their general education requirements out of the way. Each Mass. community college should have a transfer advisor who can assist you with determining which courses to take to satisfy the general education requirements of various universities.
Being a Massachusetts community college student myself, I'm somewhat familiar with the state's programs. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has a state agreement called the MassTransfer Pathways, which can make the process quite smooth. This program provides community college students who complete associate degrees with the "benefits of the full transfer and applicability of credit, guaranteed admission, and a tuition discount (each based on final GPA)" into one of the Massachusetts state universities or UMass campuses.
Top tip: You really want to stay on top of understanding which courses transfer, and which don't, so working closely with your academic advisor is key in this process.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.