Guaranteed Admission Agreement
Blue Ridge Community College and James Madison University

James Madison University and Blue Ridge Community College recognize the need to facilitate the transfer of students from Blue Ridge Community College to James Madison University as they pursue their educational goals In an effort to ease the transfer process and to promote the closer coordination of academic courses, programs and degrees offered by our institutions, we do hereby enter into the following guaranteed admission agreement.

Admission Agreement

A Guaranteed Admission Agreement (GAA) student enrolled in a university parallel program at Blue Ridge Community College who meets JMU's transfer admissions requirements and completes all requirements for an Associate in Arts & Sciences degree may enroll in James Madison University and may expect the following:

1. All of the courses that are accepted by James Madison University will be applied to the attainment of the baccalaureate degree;
2. James Madison University can guarantee the acceptance of all transferable credits earned from the associate degree program from Blue Ridge Community College and, therefore, will accept the student with junior standing
   • For graduation with the baccalaureate degree, all JMU students must have a minimum of 120 earned credit hours accepted by JMU.
   • James Madison University cannot guarantee that the student will be able to complete all requirements for graduation within the 120-credit minimum required for graduation at James Madison University.
   • The student will be informed by James Madison University at the time the program of study is approved for his or her major if there are any course requirements that would require credit hours beyond the 120 minimum needed for graduation.
   • If the credit applied to the associate degree includes credit not recognized by JMU, such as CLEP, the student will still receive junior status and will have General Education requirements waived. Since JMU transfers credit on a course-by-course basis, credit not accepted by JMU will not transfer. Students are required to earn credits needed to meet the 120 hour minimum.
3. Acceptance in some colleges and departments at James Madison University is competitive; acceptance into James Madison University does not imply admission to these programs without further acceptance by the college or department offering the program Students participating in this admission agreement should follow all special college and/or departmental application procedures and deadlines, as well as grade point requirements listed in the James Madison University catalog and supplied by the academic unit for native James Madison University students.
4. Completion of the Associate in Arts & Sciences degree will satisfy all General Education requirements at James Madison University.

Eligibility:

Students who are degree seeking at Blue Ridge Community College and who have formally applied to graduate in the BRCC Associate in Arts and Sciences College Transfer degree program.

Students who were previously enrolled at JMU and transferred to BRCC are not eligible for participation in the GAA.

Benefits of the GAA for Blue Ridge Community College students: .

1. Blue Ridge Community College students may select the JMU undergraduate catalog in effect at the time of enrollment in the Guaranteed Admission Agreement and may continue with the degree requirements as specified in this catalog for up to five academic years. If the transfer to JMU is not made within five years then the student will follow the JMU undergraduate catalog in effect at the time of transfer to JMU.
2. Waiving of the James Madison University application fee.

Responsibilities of Blue Ridge Community College:

BRCC will:

1. Disseminate accurate information to Blue Ridge Community College transfer program students regarding the general conditions of this guaranteed admission agreement. Those provisions include the conditions for guaranteed acceptance to James Madison University and notification that acceptance to the university does not guarantee acceptance to any particular major program of study
2. Provide academic advising services to assist Blue Ridge Community College students in choosing courses that will best prepare them for their intended major at James Madison University. The Blue Ridge Community College Student Services Division will train faculty advisers to provide appropriate and accurate advising services related to students' plans to apply to James Madison University.
3. Annually initiate the review and update of the "Blue Ridge Community College Program Advising Guide for Selected JMU Majors."
4. Notify the Vice Provost at James Madison University when situations arise that warrant Blue Ridge Community College faculty and James Madison University faculty interaction to address advising or curricular issues.
5. Collaborate with James Madison University to promote the guaranteed admission agreement among prospective and current Blue Ridge Community College students.
6. Work in partnership with JMU's Center for Assessment and Research Studies (CARS) to implement competency assessment in General Education. When standards have been finalized, students will be required to demonstrate competence in three areas of general education - Information Literacy, Scientific Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning- by passing each of three assessment instruments. Standards, or cutoff scores, determining successful passing on these three instruments are set conjointly by JMU faculty and faculty selected by the Virginia Community College System,.Other assessment instruments may be added in compliance with the Commonwealth of Virginia's competency requirements.

Responsibilities of James Madison University:

James Madison University will:

1. Provide Blue Ridge Community College with course equivalent information regarding Blue Ridge Community College courses and James Madison University equivalent courses. An annual review will be conducted to insure that this information is shared with Blue Ridge Community College on a timely basis.
2. Disseminate accurate information to prospective transfer students regarding the general conditions of this guaranteed admission agreement. Those provisions include the conditions for guaranteed acceptance to James Madison University and notification that acceptance to the university does not guarantee acceptance to any particular major program of study.
3. Provide academic advising services to GAA students during the term prior to transfer to assist these students in making a smooth transition from Blue Ridge Community College to James Madison University.
4. Notify the appropriate individual at Blue Ridge Community College when situations arise that warrant Blue Ridge Community College faculty and James Madison University faculty interaction to address advising or curricular issues.
5. Collaborate with Blue Ridge Community College to promote the guaranteed admission agreement among prospective and current Blue Ridge Community College students.
6. Have JMU's CARS work in partnership with BRCC to implement competency assessment in three areas of General Education - Information Literacy, Scientific Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. JMU faculty will work with faculty selected by the Virginia Community College System to set standards, or cutoff scores, determining successful passing on the assessment instruments. JMU's CARS will administer the three assessment instruments. Other assessment instruments may be added in compliance with the Commonwealth of Virginia's competency requirements.

Responsibilities of the Student:

The student will:

1. Complete and sign a Guaranteed Admission Agreement Letter of Intent form.
   1. It is primarily the responsibility of students who choose to pursue this guaranteed admission agreement to know and understand the requirements for the Blue Ridge Community College A.A. & S degree, as well as degree requirements and the specific program of study requirements for his or her intended major at JMU.
   2. The student will review the Guaranteed Admission Agreement and the developed Program of Study and will sign a Letter of Intent to enroll at James Madison University.
   3. A student must contact the transfer counselor at Blue Ridge Community College for approval before initiating changes in his or her program of study at BRCC.
   4. A student must obtain the associate degree with a cumulative grade point average of 3.000 on a 4.0 scale*. A minimum grade of C must be obtained in each course unless otherwise indicated in the guaranteed admission agreement. Eligible transfer students must provide transcripts from any other institutions attended.
      
      * A student needs to have either an overall GPA of 3.000 on all college work attempted in the last 5 years or have earned 60% of the credits applied toward the associate degree at BRCC. A student who does not meet this requirement can still apply to JMU through the traditional transfer process.
2. Meet minimum grade criteria and prerequisites for courses in specific programs at James Madison University- For example, at James Madison University, psychology majors or minors must complete GPSYC 101, PSYC 210 and PSYC 211 or the BRCC equivalent before enrolling in courses numbered 330.
3. Notify the community college transfer counselor if participation in the Guaranteed Admission Agreement is to be terminated
4. Submit the JMU Application for Admission and request that all previously attended colleges/universities submit an official transcript to JMU's Office of Admissions by January 15 for the following summer term; by March 1 for the following fall semester. Students who have completed all requirements of the GAA by the end of the spring term will be given priority for the upcoming fall semester Students who complete the requirements for the GAA during the summer and want to start at JMU in the fall will be considered on a space available basis. Students who complete the GAA requirements in the summer may need to wait until the following summer or fall terms to start their course work at JMU *
   
   * A student's final acceptance to James Madison University could be delayed or deferred if one or more core requirements remain to be completed at the time the JMU Application for Admission is submitted.

Blue Ridge Community College's Curricula Utilized for GAA;

1. When a guaranteed admission agreement is made involving a specific program, addenda will define further the specific details affecting students who enroll in that academic program.
   
   Eligible programs:
   1. Adult Degree Program
   2. Communication Science and Disorders
   3. Computer Science
   4. History
   5. Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) Program
   6. Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies
   7. Military Science
   8. Nursing Program
   9. Psychology
   10. Social Work
2.  Blue Ridge Community College will designate officials who wilt be responsible for all aspects of the guaranteed admission program at Blue Ridge Community College. James Madison University will designate individuals responsible for ail aspects of this guaranteed admission agreement at James Madison University.
   -Representing James Madison will be the Vice Provost and the Director of Admissions.
   -Representing Blue Ridge Community College will be the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services and the Dean of Academic Services.
3. Both parties are to communicate the conditions of this agreement to their respective clientele (external and internal constituents). James Madison University and Blue Ridge Community College will review this agreement every three years and make adjustments or amendments as deemed appropriate to maintain the integrity of each institution as well as for the improvement of the transfer process and student articulation. Such changes will not adversely affect students already enrolled and covered under the provisions of the existing agreement.
4. The guaranteed admission agreement will remain in effect until terminated by either party upon written notice to the other party of an intention to terminate.  Such notice should be given at least one year in advance of the effective date of termination, and students who entered under the agreement may take advantage of its terms for two years after termination becomes effective  

Approval Granted by:

Linwood H. Rose, President
James Madison University
10/15/07

James R. Perkins, President
Blue Ridge Community College
10/26/07

• GAA Procedures for BRCC Students/Letter of Intent (PDF)
• JMU Advising Guide home