New Bi-Co Program Gives Community College Students a Liberal Arts Experience

Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges are partnering on a new program that will bring community college students to the campuses for a week-long immersion to experience what it’s like to transfer to and attend a liberal arts college.

“Most students who attend community colleges think about going to a school that's in their neighborhood or a public university,” says Chief Enrollment Officer Cheryl Lynn-Horsey, who is co-administering the program with Raquel Esteves-Joyce, Assistant Vice President for Student Diversity, Equity, and Access, at Haverford. “Some of them hear ‘liberal arts college’ and think it has to do with political beliefs or that it’s unaffordable. We want them to understand the breadth of what you can achieve at a liberal arts college and to know that for some students it can be more affordable than a public option.”

Known as the Bi-Co Exploring Transfer Together (Bi-Co ETT) program, the program welcomes its first group of students this June. Info sessions for interested students are being held on Jan. 28.

Community College of Philadelphia and Northampton Community College are partners in the program, but students from any community college can apply. Each accepted student receives a scholarship to the Bi-Co ETT program that completely covers their tuition, room, meals, and materials, as well as a $500 stipend to help offset any potential lost income resulting from participation in the program.

This program is based on the Exploring Transfer program at Vassar College, where Horsey visited two years ago and first started thinking about starting a similar program for the Bi-Co.  “The folks at Vassar were amazing,” says Horsey. “They opened their files, provided technical information, tips on how to solicit faculty. They even came down here to do a full-day workshop with us to tell us what they learned from their experience and what we might consider.”

According to a recent study conducted by Vassar, their Exploring Transfer program has been spectacularly effective. While only about 17 percent of all community college students ever attain a four-year degree, more than 70 percent of those enrolled in Exploring Transfer have done so.

Vassar’s support also includes a $5,000.00 seed grant from a larger grant Vassar received from ECMC Foundation to partner with other schools to promote the Vassar model. Bryn Mawr and Haverford are the first two colleges to participate in the Exploring Transfer Together initiative.

“I'm really excited that Bryn Mawr and Haverford are moving forward on the Bi-Co ETT Pilot,” says Wendy Maragh Taylor, Associate Dean of the College at Vassar. “Cheryl and Raquel are incredible partners who have been championing this work. I appreciate their commitment to the students and the community; that's what this work is about -- giving community college students in our respective communities the opportunity to have a vision of themselves that they might not have known was possible. I'm glad Vassar can support our colleagues in these efforts.”

The Bi-Co ETT program will focus on three primary areas of engagement: academics, community, and transfer success. Students will engage in a 15-hour academic course co-taught by Assistant Dean Alyson Krawchuk from Northampton Community College and Associate Professor Joshua Moses of Haverford College.

Students will live together in one of Bryn Mawr’s residence halls and the program will include community-building events and activities to not only create a strong network for participants but also to demonstrate the benefits of the residential aspect of most four-year residential liberal arts colleges. 

“This work, led by a dedicated team of Bi-Co staff, will lead to community college students successfully applying to four-year liberal arts institutions where they will thrive,” says Esteves-Joyce. “We also imagine another aspect of its impact and legacy will include institutions continuing to widen pathways to their programs and strengthening their supportive infrastructure for transfer students.”

Visit Bi-Co Exploring Transfer Together for more information on the program, including application deadlines and how to apply.

As part of its ongoing efforts to recruit a diversity of students, Bryn Mawr announced in September that it is partnering with Community College of Philadelphia to on a program that will allow eligible students at the community college to earn a Bryn Mawr undergraduate degree within select majors in two years.

Bryn Mawr is one of a small number of colleges and universities to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for all students. Over the last 10 years, Bryn Mawr has increased its financial aid spending by more than 52 percent. In the 2022-23 academic year, the college provided $42.8 million in total institutional financial aid to undergraduate students. Currently, 78 percent of Bryn Mawr students receive financial aid, with an average award of $62,230.