Agreement gives Idaho students tuition break at EWU

A proposed partnership between North Idaho Community College and Eastern Washington University would give NIC graduates in-state tuition at Eastern.

Although the agreement isn’t finalized, 16 NIC students already have transferred to EWU under an informal agreement, said Graydon Stanley, NIC’s vice president for student services.

“We have been so pleased about EWU’s interest in our institution and in our students,” Stanley said. “We’ve been working with the spirit of that program last year.”

Stanley said the program streamlines the pathway from two-year colleges to four-year. The program should be finalized early this spring, he said. Although NIC students are already eligible for discounted tuition via the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, they would pay less under this program.

“It gives us credibility to be associated with a university as successful as Eastern,” Stanley said.

Dave Meany, a spokesman for Eastern, emphasized that the agreement remains tentative. However, it’s similar to agreements the university already has with other community colleges.

“This reflects Eastern’s student-oriented approach and it’s consistent with other efforts to create a clear pathway for community college transfers,” Meany said.

The agreement will allow 20 NIC students to transfer in the fall, he said.

Deann Johnson, an NIC adviser for completion and transferability, said the agreement started with Eastern representatives attending NIC’s transfer fair. The program is particularly beneficial to students studying dental hygiene and engineering, she said.

Mercedes McComb, sophomore, is studying dental hygiene. She plans to transfer to Eastern after graduating in May.

“That is a huge blessing,” she said of the program. “(Being able to) go across to Washington where there are really great schools, but it’s a little bit hard to afford.”

According to a draft of the agreement, students must graduate from NIC and enroll at Eastern for the next term. Once accepted at Eastern, students have two years of in-state tuition. To receive the discounted tuition students must take a full class load.

Meany pointed to an agreement Eastern and Columbia Basin College have as a template for the upcoming agreement.