Haverhill, MA (February 27, 2023)– A new joint admissions agreement between Northern Essex Community College and UMass Lowell will enhance the transfer process between the two institutions. Upon acceptance to NECC, students who opted into joint admissions on their application will also be conditionally accepted to UML.

“By making this process of applying to college and earning an associates degree and a bachelor’s degree affordable, we’re opening the doors wider for the communities we serve,” remarked NECC President Lane Glenn. “We’re better preparing a workforce for the Commonwealth. And it’s a workforce that the Commonwealth desperately needs.”

NECC President Lane Glenn and UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen

Upon completion of their associate degree, joint admissions students will have priority registration at UML, they will get priority for Merit Scholarships, and they will be exempt from UMass’s Core Curriculum. UML will also waive the application fee.

UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen and Provost Joe Hartman joined President Lane Glenn and Northern Essex Provost Paul Beaudin on the NECC campus to formally sign the agreement on Monday, February 27. “The world is changing. And we’re recognizing that the pathways to education are also changing,” said Chen. “We know that Northern Essex is a key piece of this ecosystem and a partner for us because NECC provides that critical, early support.”

“Nearly half the adults in Massachusetts have a bachelor’s degree. Geography is destiny: 28% of adults in Haverhill have a bachelor’s degree, and 14% of adults in Lawrence 25 years or older have a bachelor’s degree or higher. So, efforts like this are a cause for social justice, they’re a cause for addressing the workforce’s needs, and they’re a cause for changing many lives of families in the future,” stated Glenn.

UML Provost Joe Hartman said approximately 900 students have transferred from NECC to UML in the last six years. “They’ve retained at a higher rate than our average students, so we know they come in well-prepared and ready to succeed, work hard, and move forward. We’re excited to see more NECC students.” UML has secured funding for programs designed to support transfer students, and as part of the joint admissions agreement, a UML admissions counselor will be assigned specifically to NECC students.

The joint admissions agreement is effective immediately. NECC graduates will be admitted to UML with a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0. Although NECC students covered by this agreement will be admitted to the university, some programs may have additional requirements for incoming transfer students, which must be met before admission to that program. This agreement does not apply to students wishing to transfer into the UML Nursing Program.

“Sometimes, I think that we forget that the war on poverty is truly won by educators,” said Provost Beaudin in his closing remarks Monday. “Thank you, UMass Lowell, for helping us map change in our corner of the Commonwealth.”

For more information on transfer agreements, contact NECC’s Director of Transfer, Articulation, and Academic Center Advising Michelle Sunday.