Cal U offers tuition discounts to Westmoreland Community College grads

Hundreds of Westmoreland County Community College graduates — past and future — may be able to reap significant savings on a four-year degree thanks to a new discount program at California University of Pennsylvania.

The university, about 20 miles from the community college’s main campus, is offering a 20% tuition discount to community college graduates in four degree areas through its Educational Alliance Program. Those with Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.) or Applied Associate of Science (A.A.S.) in Early Childhood Education degrees will be eligible for the discount starting this fall.

“A bachelor’s degree is the next step for many community college graduates,” said Robert Thorn, interim president of Cal U. “The Educational Alliance program was created to make that next step more accessible and affordable for students throughout the region.”

And the offer isn’t limited to new graduates. A CalU spokeswoman said community college graduates with degrees in the four areas in prior years can take advantage of the program.

With tuition currently at $3,850 a semester, the discount comes to a savings of about $770 a semester, or nearly $3,100 over four semesters.

“We’re pretty excited about this,” said Sydney Beeler, vice president of enrollment management at the community college. “About 25% of our students indicate they want to pursue a four-year degree. And this is an awesome opportunity to make it more affordable for them.”

Beeler said the program is well-suited for adult learners, who often have to take a break from school for work or family obligations but want to continue their education.

It’s also a good fit for CalU, which is accustomed to accommodating transfer students. Tracey Sheetz, dean of admissions at the university, said transfer students typically account for about a third of each year’s new class.

Cal U officials said the discount will apply to in-person and online degree programs.

The program comes as Cal U retools to become the administrative hub of an integrated institution with Clarion and Edinboro universities with a special emphasis on expanding online offerings.

Officials at Cal U dubbed the discount bachelor’s degree program the Educational Alliance to underscore the notion of its partnership with participating institutions. They hope to forge similar agreements for discounted programs with corporations, hospitals, nonprofit organizations and other entities seeking to retrain or invest in new workforce skills at a reduced cost for their workers. Additional information is available through alliance coordinator Ben Brudnock at brudnock@calu.edu.

Beeler said the program is a great fit for community college students, many of whom are adults seeking to enhance their career skills while juggling jobs and child care. At the community college, where the average student age is 27, about half of the students fall into the traditional 18-24 college demographic, while about 30% are adults, ages 25-65.

“This could be something very good for this area, and it aligns with the changing workforce needs for this area, where those changes will require a lot of people to upskill and retrain,” Beeler said.