National Louis University Pushes to Expand the Horizons for Transfer Students with New Partnership Program, Direct to Success

CHICAGO, June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Louis University, a leading Minority Serving Institution, is excited to announce a new partnership with over 20 community colleges. NLU's new Direct to Success (D2S) program will officially launch as a seamless transfer experience for students interested in any of NLU's sixteen Bachelor's degree pathways. Students who transfer to NLU with an Associate's degree will be guaranteed junior standing and will receive a scholarship mitigating their tuition fees.

"We are approaching this new initiative with an equity lens in mind," said Dr. Nivine Megahed, President of National Louis. "There are not enough affordable transfer opportunities that meet the unique needs of Associate-degree earning students. Ensuring that we provide a transfer-receptive culture and act proactively to dismantle barriers to Bachelor's degree attainment and sustainable employment are our top priorities in launching D2S," Dr. Megahed added.

The development of D2S came out of an industry need to better support transfer students in their transition to 4-year universities. A leaky transfer pipeline leaves on average 4.4 million students nationwide without a clear transfer pathway to Bachelor's degree attainment. In the local Chicagoland market, this means that there is the potential to serve 10,000 additional transfer students. Furthermore, data shows that for students who began their postsecondary education at a community college in fall 2013, lower-income students were half as likely as their higher-income peers to have transferred to a four-year institution (24% vs. 40%) and to have attained a bachelor's degree (10% vs. 21%) within six years of first entry.

After a year of disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is launching at a portentous moment for higher education in America. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center this week reported that 476,000 fewer students enrolled at U.S. community colleges this spring, a decline of 9.5 percent. The nation's overall postsecondary decline was 603,000 students, or 3.5 percent, with undergraduates accounting for all of the decrease.

Moreover, recent research shows that compared to the previous year, the number of young people from the high school class of 2020 who enrolled in college after graduation dropped by an unprecedented 7 percent. The decrease was greater among graduates at high-poverty high schools.

Direct to Success takes aim at these disparities in order to level the playing field by making the road to a Bachelor's degree equally available to all aspiring students, regardless of socioeconomic background and chosen career paths.

NLU is forging partnerships with college success organizations such as One Million Degrees, a leadership and professional development program operating at all seven City Colleges of Chicago. "NLU's Direct to Success program is an amazing opportunity for our students, who are all currently pursuing their Associate degrees, to have an affordable option they can transfer to and continue their education," adds Xavier Mann, Senior Manager of Program Supports at OMD.

Through D2S, NLU's goal is to significantly increase the number of students with Associate's degrees transferring to a 4-year program to achieve their postsecondary goals. According to national data, 80% of community college students want to transfer to a four-year institution, but only 25% do.

Supporting transfer students to transition successfully, graduate, and achieve their career goals is of utmost importance. Jennifer Robin, Director of Transfer Strategy at NLU, adds: "Transfer students on their way to a Bachelor's degree face many challenges, especially those who come to college from underrepresented communities. We are excited that D2S will support these students and provide a well-defined pathway to help them move forward. Supporting transfer students is key to increasing diversity in the workforce. We are creating an experience where they receive the mentoring, career support, and real-world project experience necessary to succeed."

Currently, direct transfer students at NLU are outperforming national benchmarks: their 4-year graduation rate at NLU is 55%, while the national average is 38%. Lisa Downey, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Educator Preparation, adds, "Students interested in becoming teachers will have a streamlined, affordable way to complete their degrees and get into classrooms with children as soon as possible--exactly where we need them! As we prepare the next generation of teachers and train teachers as agents of change, providing access to students of color is our priority, so they can go into their communities and create change one student and one classroom at a time. D2S will provide more opportunities for the students who need it most." 

Students of color are more likely to attend a community college upon high school graduation. Supporting equitable transfer and ensuring positive degree attainment and employment outcomes is thus a social justice issue. "Ensuring opportunities for transfer students is of utmost importance right now. Through D2S, NLU is committed to building a strong pipeline of transfer students and equipping them to earn their Bachelor's degree and launch into upwardly mobile employment," says Aarti Dhupelia, Vice President and Dean of the Undergraduate College at NLU. NLU is currently the most popular four-year private institution destination for Chicago Public School graduates, and NLU now seeks to become the top broad access four-year institution for local community college transfer students. NLU launches D2S in Fall 2021, building on its commitment to bettering Chicago's communities.

The full list of participating community colleges in the D2S partnership can be accessed here. Applications for fall are still being accepted, and to learn more students can visit transfer.nl.edu or email Jennifer Robin at [email protected].

About National Louis University: National Louis is a nonprofit, non-denominational university focused on preparing the diverse workforce of tomorrow and widening access to quality educational and career opportunities for all learners. NLU offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the fields of education, business, computer science and information technology, management, human services, social work, counseling, public policy, culinary, hospitality and other fields in career and professional development. NLU serves approximately 10,000 students annually at locations in Illinois and Florida as well as online. Visit nl.edu for more info.

SOURCE National Louis University

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