Agreement improves access to undergraduate education in Idaho
Oct. 15—The Idaho State Board of Education has a new agreement that allows community college students who earn an associate degree to move directly to a higher-level program at a four-year institution.
According to a news release from the Idaho State Board of Education, a student at a community college can co-enroll at a four-year institution, which means that when they finish their associate degree they can immediately begin attending classes for a bachelor's degree.
It also allows community college students to begin taking upper-division courses before their two-year degree is completed, similar to high school students who can begin taking college courses before they graduate with their diploma.
Students will already be enrolled through a co-admissions and co-enrollment agreement signed by all eight Idaho institutions.
"We wanted one agreement to make it simple and straightforward with the same rules for all students no matter where they start," state board Chief Academic Officer TJ Bliss said in the news release. "It used to be that each institution had its own agreement with the other institutions, so we had numerous agreements with various requirements. The situation wasn't user friendly for students."
