UNLV partners with community college to simplify transfers

LAS VEGAS — Nevada residents who don’t quite make the cut for the University of Nevada Las Vegas will now be encouraged to attend community college instead of receiving rejection letters.

Students who are rejected from UNLV but instead enroll at the College of Southern Nevada will be automatically transferred to the university if they fulfill a list of requirements, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The partnership is aimed at both encouraging locals to seek postsecondary degrees and boosting the College of Southern Nevada’s weak graduation rates.

“It’s a win-win, really, for both institutions,” said Juanita Fain, UNLV’s vice president for student affairs. “It will increase the number of students who receive their associate degree at CSN, and then they come to UNLV and complete their bachelor’s.”

Students looking to participate in the new transfer program will need a 2.5 grade-point average after studying full time and earning an associate’s degree from the College of Southern Nevada.

The partnership will also make it easier for students to transfer earned credits between the schools. College of Southern Nevada also made a similar deal with Nevada State College.

Barbara Ayarza, who transferred to UNLV after earning an associate’s degree from the community college in 2014, said getting her associate’s degree was a good first step before jumping into UNLV. Ayarza attended the College of Southern Nevada more than two decades after dropping out of high school and is now set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

The College of Southern Nevada “is a good buffer,” she said. “It makes the process a lot easier so you don’t feel so defeated. Those of us who graduated from CSN, we walk onto campus totally confident.”

UNLV administrators plan to use the program as an alternative for students who don’t meet admission criteria but show graduation potential.

“This is one of the best practices in terms of . provid(ing) an option for students an alternative,” said Juanita Chrysanthou, the College of Southern Nevada’s vice president for student affairs. “We spell out for the student exactly what it would take to be able to attend UNLV.”