1. Opportunity. Access. Excellence
Piedmont Virginia
Community College
Opportunity. Access. Excellence

2. THE FACTS
45% of all higher education students begin at Community Colleges (nation-wide)
93% of our graduates reported that PVCC helped them meet their career/academic goals.
The majority of PVCC graduates (73%) were “very much” satisfied with the quality of their academic program at PVCC.
Compared with students who started as freshmen at their current colleges, nearly all [PVCC transfers] felt that they were either better prepared or as well prepared for their studies compared to other students.
PVCC was ranked among the top-10 mid-sized community colleges across the U.S. that offer exceptional technology support to students and educators.

3. THE FACTS (continued)
Over 40% of PVCC students take at least one online
course during their studies at the College
Tuition & Fees: $ per credit hour (in-state)
Enrollment: 5,630 students
79% of PVCC students are part-timers
51% of the student body is under 21-years-old

4. ENROLLMENT OPTIONS Part-time or full-time course load
Fall, Spring, or Summer courses
Evening, daytime, and weekend courses
Online courses
Hybrid courses
Learning Communities
Learning communities are 2 or more classes that are linked together, taken in the same semester, that involve a cross-over of information, students, and faculty collaboration.
There is much more flexibility to scheduling courses than you are used to in High School. This is a good thing but you have to be cognizant of a few things. Keep in mind that classes are offered at 3 different locations: PVCC main campus, The Jefferson School downtown Charlottesville) and the Guiseppe Center (Green County). Do not schedule classes at the Guiseppe Center unless you live in Green County or enjoy commuting 45 minutes minimum each way. Also, do NOT enroll in online classes unless you are the organized, self-motivated type of student who doesn’t require an instructor to constantly hound them for their work.

5. FINANCIAL AID http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Grants: Full Pell Grant (up to $ )
This money does not require repayment as long as the student attends and completes classes in the term for which the aid was received. There are other state and federal grants available.
Scholarships
This money does not require repayment. Visit the PVCC website to learn more about PVCC scholarships, including applications, deadlines, and requirements at Scholarships that are not PVCC-specific can be found on websites such as or finaid.org.
Federal Work Study (up to 20 hrs./week at $9.00/hr.)
This is a ‘need-based’ program that provides part-time jobs for students. Money earned is extra income for the student which may be used toward tuition or other educational expenses, even personal expenses.
Student Loans
This money requires repayment. Students must file a FAFSA and work with our Financial Aid Office to complete additional required paperwork.
Scholarships and grants are basically the same thing, it is basically determined by where the funds come from (from individuals or companies = scholarship: from government = grant).

6. STUDENT SERVICES
Placement Test Preparation….Online English/Math practice tests
Services……………………Fully-staffed Math & Writing Centers
In-person tutoring
Online tutoring (SMARTHINKING)
Academic coaching
Academic Advising
LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory)
SMARTHINKING is available for most subjects and even allows you to submit papers online and receive feedback within 24 hours.
Academic coaching deals more with time management, organizational skills, and study habits while Academic Advising involves choosing particular courses that best suit the student and his/her program of study.
LASSI is a student survey that allows faculty and staff to use the feedback to make necessary alterations for the future.

7. PVCC COURSE OPTIONS Associate of Arts or Associate of Science
Transfer Program
Can be completed in 2 years (may take longer, see advisor for more details)
Goal: Transfer to a four-year college/university to achieve a Bachelor’s degree
Associate of Applied Science
Goal: Prepare for direct entry into a career
Certificates or Career Studies Certificates
Typically 1-3 semesters to complete
Goal: Prepare for more immediate job placement, job skill development, or promotion opportunities
Individual Courses
Goal: Personal enrichment, life-long learning, and resume-building

8. PROGRAMS OF STUDY
These AA and AS degrees are transfer programs, providing the first two years of study for a bachelor’s degree:
Associate of Science (AS)
Business Administration
Computer Science
Education
Engineering
General Studies
Physical and Natural Sciences:
(Specialization in) Biotechnology
(Specialization in) Horticulture
Science
Associate of Arts (AA)
Liberal Arts
Visual and Performing Arts:
Specialization in Arts
Specialization in Dance
Specialization in Music
Specialization in Theatre & Drama
General Studies is a flexible and broad degree that will allow you to complete the transfer requirements for most 4-year colleges in Virginia. (great for students who are unsure of what program they want to focus on)
Specialization in Biotechnology involves a combination of biology, chemistry, advanced math, and biotechnology skills classes which cover emerging areas such as DNA and protein analysis, tissue and antibody cultures, and diagnostic procedures.
Horticulture curriculum includes classes on growing and tending to plants and the studying of environmental issues that affect plants (in addition to traditional science and math courses, including biology, chemistry, and pre-calc/calc. Horticulture can also be taken as a certificate program which only requires 16 credit hours to complete.
Finally, a specialty in science involves a range of science, math, and social science classes leading to an Associate’s degree.
On the Associate of Arts side, the Liberal Arts degree is almost identical to the General Studies degree, *except that it includes foreign language classes which some 4-year universities, UVA specifically, require.

9. TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES
In ,795 PVCC students transferred to a 4-year college
Ninety percent (89%) who were planning to attend a four-year college or
university indicated that they transferred to their first-choice college
(as reported in PVCC graduate follow-up survey)
Most Common Destinations Included:
-Virginia Tech= 121
-Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) = 147
-Old Dominion University (ODU) = 161
-James Madison University (JMU) = 183
-University of Virginia (UVA) = 345
According to the same PVCC graduate survey, the average GPA of the survey respondents was 3.3, which is an A- average.
In addition, we just recently began interviewing for a new advisor position at PVCC that will deal specifically with transfer students. This is a valuable resource because it can get confusing when dealing with class registration and programs of study when your intent is to transfer to a 4-year college or university (i.e. admissions requirements for both the desired college and academic program, the application process, credit transitions, and course selection). You actually need to reach out and speak to academic advisors at both schools so that they can steer you towards classes that will not only transfer over but will also count as required classes towards your major. Now that we have a transfer advisor, the process should be much easier to navigate than in the past.
There is also a transfer college fair held at PVCC each year that includes admissions representatives from over 50 4-year colleges and universities (most within VA but a few out-of –state as well).

10. GUARANTEED ADMISSIONS
AGREEMENTS
PVCC and the Virginia Community College System have Guaranteed Admissions Agreements with many public and private four-year colleges and universities in the Commonwealth. This means that qualified PVCC graduates holding a transfer associate degree will have met all general education requirements and are eligible for guaranteed admission to the participating colleges and universities.
What is “Guaranteed Admissions”? Sounds too good to be true, right? Basically, each of these schools listed has made an agreement with PVCC that states that if you earn around 60 credits at PVCC which include taking a list of specific classes, in addition to earning a certain GPA, you will be admitted into their 4-year school. Keep in mind, however, that each of these schools has slightly different GPA and class requirements (for instance, some of the harder schools-William and Mary, for instance), have higher GPA requirements for admission.
Therefore, the sooner you decide which college you may want to attend, the better you can plan your curriculum at PVCC.

11. PARTICIPATING COLLEGES
& UNIVERSITIES
Christopher Newport University
The College of William and Mary
Emory and Henry College
George Mason University
James Madison University
Liberty University
Longwood University
Lynchburg College
Mary Baldwin College
Norfolk State University
Old Dominion University
Radford University
Randolph College
Regent University
Strayer University
Sweet Briar College
University of Mary Washington
University of Phoenix
University of Virginia
- College at Wise
- College of Arts and Sciences
-School of Engineering
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia State University
Virginia Tech
-College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
-College of Engineering
Virginia Union
Virginia Wesleyan College

12. HANG IN THERE ALMOST DONE!!! ONLY FOUR SLIDES REMAINING!
Sorry, I like to interject a little humor to break up the monotony. If you please bear with me, there are only two slides left!!!
ONLY FOUR SLIDES REMAINING!

13. DUAL ENROLLMENT
Dual enrollment describes an enrichment opportunity allowing high school students to earn college credits for courses taken through a post-secondary institution while still being enrolled in high school.
Dual enrollment students take college level classes to receive college credit and may receive high school
credit as well.  
I want to mention dual enrollment because it is primary area of work at PVCC and it is a great opportunity for younger students to experience college-level coursework and ease your course-load after High School graduation. There is even an opportunity to engage in the early college pathways system which allows a High School student to obtain an Associate’s degree upon graduation. This would allow you to enter directly into a 4-year college or university as a Junior (you could then choose to continue and graduate college at an accelerated pace or you could take fewer credits while at college and make the transition that much easier for yourself. While dual enrollment classes are free, dual credit classes, which are PVCC courses that a HS student wants to take but is not offered at Monticello HS, and therefore have to go to PVCC’s campus for them. The early college pathways program does require students to take a combination of dual enrollment and dual credit classes. Regardless, the overall savings is till phenomenal and is something that you can think about with your parents.

14. ADMISSIONS & ADVISING Academic advising for all academic programs
Assistance in exploring your academic/career interest
Advising on 4-year college/university transfer process
Faculty advising
Guidance through the admissions/application and course enrollment processes
Transfer advisors to aid the transition between PVCC and a 4-year college or university
Assistance in finding the college resources you need to succeed
Academic advising will soon be MANDATORY for all students at various intervals during their time here at PVCC. The concept was already approved and discussions on the application of the concept are under way. (EXAMPLE: BIS program).

15. STEPS TO ENROLLMENT Apply Online Apply for Financial Aid
UPON HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION
Apply Online
Apply for Financial Aid
Send Official Transcripts
Take Placement Tests
Meet with an Advisor for Placement Test Score Interpretation and to Finalize Your Academic Plan (SOAR Session)
Register for your Classes
Pay for your Classes
Purchase your Books
It is a very easy application that can be completed online within 10 minutes. We advise that you take the Math and English placement tests on different days, they are quite extensive and luckily they are also untimed. The math VPT consists of questions for each of 9 units and then an additional pre-calc/calc portion to determine whether you are able to enroll in MTH 164 and MTH 173, while the English test is broken up into two parts – reading comprehension/writing fundamentals and an essay. As I already stated, there are numerous resources available to assist with the placement tests. Word of warning, DO NOT BLOW THEM OFF, they determine your starting level for both Math and English courses. Believe me, they are not a walk in the park and you do not want to spend another day re-taking tests. SOAR is the Student Orientation and Advising, which is a mandatory session you sign up for before the Fall semester begins. Advisors will look over your transcripts and your proposed program of study and use that information to recommend classes for you to take. After which you will go to a computer lab and we will assist you to physically register for your classes at that point. As for paying for classes, QuikPay is a link on PVCC web page that allows you to pay for tuition quickly and conveniently. Also, we offer a program called Nelnet, which allows you to pay for tuition costs over an arranged period of time. It is not a loan, so there are no interest charges, but there is a one time fee for the service.

16. WHY TRANSFER?
Tuition Costs: a transfer student saves an average of $15,945 (4-year public college) & $42, 263 (4-year private college).
Transition: some students might be wary of taking college-level courses while living away from home for the first time. It can be overwhelming at times. At PVCC, you can experience the academic side of college life while remaining at home or close by.
Class Size: the average class size at PVCC is 16 students while intro classes at 4-year colleges can be held in large lecture halls (i.e. Intro to Chemistry at UVA=300 students but 3rd and 4th year classes are much smaller).
Academic Flexibility: PVCC offers: 3 campuses, day/night/weekend classes, numerous online offerings, part-time/full-time opportunities (financial aid available to both).
There is no right answer here. Some students want to experience life at a 4-year college right after HS graduation, which is fine. Others, however, might not be able to or might not want to pay the tuition costs. Some student might not be ready to handle the rigors of college academics and living on their own for the first time. Some might prefer a smaller class size so they receive more personal attention form their professors. Others might require the flexibility in their class schedule that PVCC provides. In the end, a degree from a 4-year college or university is very important to a lot of people and rightfully so. However, the Bachelor’s degree that a transfer student obtains is EXACTLY the same as a Bachelor’s degree that a 4-year student obtains.