Austin, TX – March 8, 2006 – Students with dreams of starting at Austin Community College (ACC) and finishing at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) need not engage in the rigorous admissions process twice.

In a formal agreement to be signed on Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. in room 502 of the ACC Highland Business Center, ACC and SHSU will enter a “joint admission” status in which students will only have to apply to one school, rather than both. State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, an avid supporter of higher education, will be on hand to acknowledge the agreement.

“This is the first time ACC has entered such an agreement with a four-year institution,” said Dr. Donetta Goodall, ACC vice president of Academic Transfer and General/Developmental Education. “By combining admissions we have removed yet another barrier for students who want to continue on to a bachelor’s degree program.”

Through “joint admission” students making the transition from the associate to the baccalaureate degree are provided a mechanism to maximize utilization of facilities and programs offered jointly by ACC and SHSU. Student benefits from “joint admission” may include, but are not limited to:
Simultaneous enrollment
SHSU photo ID/bank card
Access to SHSU sporting events
SHSU email account
Storage on the SHSU server
Access to SHSU library and computer facilities
Access to SHSU transcripts
Reduced application fee

Students accepted under joint admission may simply transfer applicable course work, alternate enrollment between institutions or co-enroll. Applicants must however, continually meet all admission requirements for both institutions to retain their eligibility to participate in the program.

ACC students may also choose to take advantage of one of many articulation agreements with SHSU, that span over 30 areas of study in which associate credits can be transferred with little or no loss to a bachelor’s degree. These can be viewed at .

Similarly, SHSU students may transfer their credits back to ACC under a “reverse transfer” agreement. This program is specifically designed to give students who left ACC prior to completing degree requirements a chance to receive their associate degree.

“In the eyes of employers, there is a clear distinction between having attended Austin Community College and having graduated from there,” added Goodall.

More than 200 ACC students transferred to SHSU in each of the fall and spring semesters. For more information on the ACC and SHSU agreement which encompasses joint admission, articulation agreements and reverse transfer options, please call 512-223-7677 or any ACC campus counselor or advisor.

Austin Community College is a public, two-year college offering associate degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas at six Central Texas campuses. Serving as the regional leader in workforce training, university transfer and adult access programs, ACC opens its doors each year to more than 65,000 credit and continuing education students who benefit from the College’s great faculty and staff. ACC is the eighth largest community college in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Education.