Some AACC professors are updating their course learning objectives so their classes will transfer to four-year universities.

The Maryland Commission on Higher Education requires Maryland public universities to accept credits transferred from Maryland community colleges like AACC if at least 70% of the class learning objectives align with the four-year courses, according to Marcus Wright, AACC’s director of transfer, articulation and career alignment.

These agreements mean students don’t have to retake the classes at the four-year school if they transfer, which saves time and money, Wright said.

“Over the last six years … we’ve had an increase of over 70% of new transfer agreements,” Wright said.

According to Wright, the college is trying to ensure that entire programs transfer, so students who finish certain associate degrees at AACC can transfer to some four-year universities as juniors.

“We have over 110 of these different transfer pathways for our students,” Wright said.

However, Wright added, there’s a long way to go before every program transfers.

“Within a 50-mile radius, there [are] over 1,400 bachelor’s degree programs” AACC students might want to transfer to, Wright said.

Not every program has university equivalents, Wright said.

“We have some degrees that transfer and some degrees that are meant for you to go out into the career workforce,” Wright said. “Each situation is a little bit different.”