SANFORD - North Carolina Wesleyan College and Central Carolina Community College just made it easier for CCCC students to transfer seamlessly to Wesleyan.

Wesleyan President James Gray III and CCCC President Dr. Bud Marchant signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two schools on Feb. 26 at CCCC.

The MOU states, "In recognition of the quality associate's degree graduates Central Carolina Community College prepares, this partnership will enhance educational opportunities and facilitate a seamless transfer of graduates from Central Carolina Community College's associate's degree programs to North Carolina Wesleyan College bachelor's degree programs."

Under the terms of the articulation agreement, N.C. Wesleyan will grant 64 hours of transfer credit from CCCC Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degree programs. These credit hours will satisfy Wesleyan's lower division general educational requirements.

It will also grant 47-64 hours of transfer credit from the following Associate in Applied Science degree programs: Computer Information System Technology, Networking Technology, Accounting, Business Administration, Criminal Justice Technology, and Human Services Technology. Course work in other associate degree programs will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

"We are delighted that this partnership with N.C. Wesleyan will provide our students, who have had the opportunity to earn a quality associate degree at minimal cost at CCCC, to transfer seamlessly to this highly rated institution," said Marchant. "Our transfer students do well at four-year institutions and we believe N.C. Wesleyan will find them of the highest caliber."

Wesleyan will also automatically accept CCCC students who are at least 22 years old with a 2.0 grade point average. Only courses with a "C" or higher will transfer.

It will also apply its 2+Wesleyan Agreement to CCCC traditional students who want to transfer to Wesleyan's traditional program in Rocky Mount. These students will be provided with a financial aid package that will level their direct cost of attendance to be equivalent to the direct cost of attendance at a state-supported institution benchmarked against N.C. State University and East Carolina University.

"It's a good strategy for Wesleyan to collaborate with community colleges," Gray said. "The cost of tuition is a lot less at a community college and this articulation agreement makes it possible for CCCC students to easily transfer to Wesleyan."

CCCC has a close working partnership with Caterpillar, Inc., in Sanford, providing training for many of their employees. Dr. Evan Duff, Wesleyan's interim provost and vice president of Adult and Professional Studies, said that Wesleyan has a connection with Caterpillar, Inc., in Clayton.

"They asked, 'Do you have a partnership with CCCC?'" he said. "That was another reason to establish the articulation agreement with the college."

North Carolina Wesleyan College is a private four-year coeducational, liberal arts college with a campus in Rocky Mount and satellite locations in Morrisville and Goldsboro. The school offers 23 undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees.

Central Carolina Community College is a public coeducational community college with campuses and centers in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties. It offers a wide variety of associate degree programs. It has been named among the top 65 community colleges in the United States by CNNMoney for its work in helping students to graduate or transfer.

For more information about CCCC programs, go to www.cccc.edu. For more information about N.C. Wesleyan, visit www.ncwc.edu.