Texas Tech University, South Texas College Sign Agreement to Further Online Education Opportunities in Rio Grande Valley

Texas Tech University's eLearning & Academic Partnerships recently signed a memorandum of understanding with South Texas College (STC) to help STC students transfer more seamlessly to Texas Tech and receive an online bachelor's degree after earning their associate degree.

South Texas College logo

The memorandum allows Texas Tech and STC to work together to promote transfer and completion at both institutions. If any STC student completes their associate degree (60 hours) and has at least a 3.5 GPA, they can apply for a Proven Achievers Scholarship from Texas Tech.

"Texas Tech is excited to partner with South Texas College to offer new opportunities for students in the Rio Grande Valley to complete their degrees online," said Justin Louder, associate vice provost of eLearning & Academic Partnerships and interim superintendent of TTU K-12. "The more than 90 high-quality online degrees offered by Texas Tech can be completed from anywhere and are taught by the same faculty who teach on the main campus in Lubbock. Once a South Texas College student completes their associate degree, they can apply for the Proven Achievers Scholarship, which provides up to $4,000 in financial aid a year."

Additionally, if an STC student transfers to Texas Tech before they complete their associate degree with STC, they can still receive their associate degree after completing their remaining requirements at Texas Tech via reverse transfer.

"Texas Tech is glad to partner with South Texas College," said Melanie Hart, vice provost of eLearning & Academic Partnerships and a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management. "This agreement allows South Texas College students to transfer easily to Texas Tech. Because we have a number of high-quality online degree programs, students do not have to leave their homes and move to Lubbock to complete a bachelor's degree with Texas Tech."

Further, the memorandum permits Texas Tech to create articulation agreements or program-to-program agreements. This is where the two institutions can maximize courses taken at STC to transfer to a specific Texas Tech program to create a truly seamless transfer opportunity for students.

"We at South Texas College are overjoyed to be partnering with a world-class institution like Texas Tech University," said Kelli Anne Davis, director of the University Relations, Transfer & Articulation Center at STC. "We believe students from the Rio Grande Valley deserve to be provided with as many pathways to bachelor-degree completion as possible. The programs at Texas Tech are second-to-none, and we have seen our students expressing more interest to move out of the valley to attain their educational goals. This agreement provides more access to high-quality educational opportunities for our students."

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