Stark State College and Franklin University Partner to Offer Pathway Portal and Special $298 Tuition Rate for Eligible Students

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@ngskmc-eis.net

Franklin University announces that it has expanded its articulation partnership with Stark State College to provide access to the Franklin University Pathway Portal and $298 tuition rate for eligible Stark State College students and alumni. As one of the leading educators of working adults in central Ohio and partner with more than 120 community colleges across the nation, Franklin’s unique Pathway Portal assists community college students in making the most of their tuition dollars by pairing a streamlined process with one of the best transfer programs in the nation, along with a $100 per credit hour discount offering a new lower tuition rate of $298 for Pathway Portal students who meet eligibility requirements.

Celebrating 25 years of its original articulation agreement, Stark State College is the newest institution to join a growing number of community colleges expanding their partnership with Franklin to provide access to the cutting-edge Pathway Portal. Through this innovative tool, community college students and alumni from partner institutions gain insight into how the courses they have obtained through their associate degree work transfer toward one of Franklin’s 28 bachelor’s degrees to help find their best fit. Further, those community college students and alumni of Stark State College’s and Franklin’s other partner institutions who have opted into the Pathway Portal and meet eligibility requirements will receive a special $298 Pathway Portal tuition rate, helping provide a solution for those continuing their education affordably and transparently.

“We’re excited about celebrating 25 years of partnership with Franklin University,” said Lada Gibson-Shreve, Ph.D., provost and chief academic officer at Stark State. “This partnership permits our students to continue their education at Franklin University by following our streamlined curriculum pathways, and Franklin’s Pathway Portal makes it easy for students to identify the transferability of courses completed at Stark State into one of Franklin’s 28 bachelor’s degrees. Stark State and Franklin offer 3+1 degrees, which permit students to complete more courses at Stark State at our tuition rate prior to transferring to Franklin. Stark State is committed to our partnership with Franklin University, and we look forward to many more years of transfer partnership success.”

In today’s competitive, global economy, a college degree has become a necessity for success. Franklin is responding to these societal demands by positively impacting its future students by optimizing its 3+1 partnership programs within its Community College Alliance. Demonstrating its distinctive significance, more than 2,500 students from the existing 27 Pathway Portal partner institutions have already opted into the Pathway Portal since launching the tool in March. These students are working toward earning their associate degree with Stark State College and other current Pathway Portal partners Butler County Community College, Clark State Community College, Columbus State Community College, Eastern Gateway Community College, Edison State Community College, the Kentucky Community & Technical College System, Lorain County Community College, Marion Technical College, Owens Community College, Rhodes State College, Sinclair Community College, and Washington State Community College.

Learn more about how the Pathway Portal can make every associate degree credit count and cut costs: http://syxo.ngskmc-eis.net/transferring-credit/transferring-community-college/pathway-portal

About Stark State College
Stark State College is a student-centered, comprehensive community college with cutting-edge career programs that reflect ever-evolving marketplace demands. The College offers more than 230 associate degrees and certificates in business and entrepreneurial studies, education, engineering technologies, health and human services, information technologies, liberal arts, mathematics and sciences. With nearly 14,000 students enrolled annually, Stark State is the largest among Stark County’s five colleges and universities and fourth largest of the 23 public two-year colleges in the University System of Ohio. 
Thanks to the close collaboration of the College with area businesses, 90 percent of SSC graduates live and work in the community and contribute to the economic development of Stark and surrounding counties. In addition to the main campus in North Canton, the College operates satellite centers in downtown Canton and at Stark State College Akron, a 64,000-square-foot education and workforce training center serving up to 5,000 students in Summit County.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).