A new partnership between the University of Virginia and Germanna Community College will make it easier for students to earn both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees completely online.

The agreement means that qualified students who complete Germanna’s College Everywhere program will have early admission to UVA’s Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies or Bachelor of Healthcare Management programs, both of which are online and designed for working adults and part-time students.

“College Everywhere is a product of bold thinking at Germanna and, now in partnership with the University of Virginia, our highly motivated students will have the opportunity to enter one of the best universities in the country,” GCC President Janet Gullickson said. “By signing this agreement, Germanna and UVA will encourage student achievement, increase bachelor degree completion rates and improve access and equity by facilitating the transferability of college credits and creating a streamlined transition from an associate degree to a bachelor degree.”

Under the partnership, students in Germanna’s College Everywhere program can apply for early admission to UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, as long as they meet academic requirements. UVA will also waive the application fee for students who participate in the early admission option.

About 80% of community college students nationwide intend to get a bachelor’s degree, but only about 30% successfully transfer to a four-year institution, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The agreement aims to make the transfer process simpler for Germanna students who wish to continue learning online at UVA SCPS.

The agreement is only for online students and doesn’t change any other existing transfer processes, such as those already in place for Germanna students who wish to transfer to UVA’s residential programs.

“This agreement makes it easier for Germanna Community College students to earn a full bachelor’s degree online from the University of Virginia,” said Alex Hernandez, dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies and UVA’s vice provost of online learning. “We are thrilled to give Germanna students a new, accessible path to a UVA degree.”

Each year, UVA will also award three Dean’s Scholarships of up to $2,500 to students who enroll through the partnership – two scholarships each fall and one each spring.

There will be a signing event for the agreement at Germanna on Wednesday, and students applying for the fall 2022 semester who meet the early admission requirements are eligible.