On Jan. 18, Portland State President Wim Wiewel and Portland Community College President Preston Pulliams met to sign an agreement that will alter the nature of the schools’ co-enrollment program. The changes will allow students concurrently enrolled at both PSU and PCC improved access to Portland State housing, among other benefits.
On Jan. 18, Portland State President Wim Wiewel and Portland Community College President Preston Pulliams met to sign an agreement that will alter the nature of the schools’ co-enrollment program. The changes will allow students concurrently enrolled at both PSU and PCC improved access to Portland State housing, among other benefits.
PCC is one of six Portland-area community colleges—including Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Mount Hood Community College, Clark Community College and Clatsop Community College—to have a co-enrollment agreement with Portland State.
Before the new agreement was signed, Portland State housing required a minimum enrollment standard of eight credits at PSU, but that allowance has since be broadened. The new agreement also created an online application form to facilitate entry into the program.
“The main part of the co-admission agreement with PCC is that students can be admitted at both PCC and PSU, even though they might not be enrolled at PSU for a while,” said Joan Jagodnik, assistant director of Transfer and College Relations. “Because when students do that, we know that their intention is to continue taking courses at the community college but that they are eventually going to come to PSU.”
Co-enrollment students also have access to academic advising and student groups at both institutions, as well as use of PSU’s Millar Library and campus computer labs.
In the co-enrollment program, students can also opt to take classes part-time at both PSU and one of the participating community colleges while maintaining access to full-time student benefits, such as financial aid and access to the health services.
“Because we have this agreement, we can count the credits at both PSU and the community college toward your financial aid load, in most cases,” Jagodnik said. “The most common thing to happen is that a student will take eight credits here and four at PCC, and financial aid will see them as a full-time student and disperse their aid as a full-time student.”
Federal financial aid has regulations that only allow students to receive aid from one institution at a time, which is designated as their home institution. Under this agreement, that home institution could be either PCC or PSU, depending on the student’s needs and course load.
Co-enrollment is intended to counter the issue of “swirling” students who get caught up in the difficulties of going back and forth between two or more institutions.
“Studies show that students who swirl do not graduate at rates as high as students who go straight through a single institution,” Jagodnik said. “Even though co-admission in some sense may seem to support swirling, it structures it in a very planful way. Because students are fully admitted at both schools, they are working with advisors, getting their transfer evaluations updated. It’s just helping them use the opportunities that both schools have to help them make choices in their classes.”
Every term that co-enrolled students take courses at the community college, those credits are directly and transparently transferred to Portland State, cutting down on confusing degree plans.
There are currently just more than 7,000 students taking advantage of the co-enrollment program with PCC alone. Clark Community College and Clatsop Community College—to have a co-enrollment agreement with Portland State.
Before the new agreement was signed, Portland State housing required a minimum enrollment standard of eight credits at PSU, but that allowance has since be broadened. The new agreement also created an online application form to facilitate entry into the program.
“The main part of the co-admission agreement with PCC is that students can be admitted at both PCC and PSU, even though they might not be enrolled at PSU for a while,” said Joan Jagodnik, assistant director of Transfer and College Relations. “Because when students do that, we know that their intention is to continue taking courses at the community college but that they are eventually going to come to PSU.”
Co-enrollment students also have access to academic advising and student groups at both institutions, as well as use of PSU’s Millar Library and campus computer labs.
In the co-enrollment program, students can also opt to take classes part-time at both PSU and one of the participating community colleges while maintaining access to full-time student benefits, such as financial aid and access to the health services.
“Because we have this agreement, we can count the credits at both PSU and the community college toward your financial aid load, in most cases,” Jagodnik said. “The most common thing to happen is that a student will take eight credits here and four at PCC, and financial aid will see them as a full-time student and disperse their aid as a full-time student.”
Federal financial aid has regulations that only allow students to receive aid from one institution at a time, which is designated as their home institution. Under this agreement, that home institution could be either PCC or PSU, depending on the student’s needs and course load.
Co-enrollment is intended to counter the issue of “swirling” students who get caught up in the difficulties of going back and forth between two or more institutions.
“Studies show that students who swirl do not graduate at rates as high as students who go straight through a single institution,” Jagodnik said. “Even though co-admission in some sense may seem to support swirling, it structures it in a very planful way. Because students are fully admitted at both schools, they are working with advisors, getting their transfer evaluations updated. It’s just helping them use the opportunities that both schools have to help them make choices in their classes.”
Every term that co-enrolled students take courses at the community college, those credits are directly and transparently transferred to Portland State, cutting down on confusing degree plans.
There are currently just more than 7,000 students taking advantage of the co-enrollment program with PCC alone.
