Among the mix of returning students, incoming freshman and accelerated-learning students, there is another group at Winston-Salem State University: Transfer students.
Stephanie Feggins, a 20-year-old resident of the city, is one of them. Feggins attended Forsyth Technical Community College before enrolling at WSSU. She said she chose the university because it’s close to her home and it offers her major.
The adjustment from two-year college to four-year university has not been as difficult as she envisioned. “It’s not that it’s harder,” she said, “but you have to be more focused.”
The percentage of students who attend community colleges in North Carolina is higher than that of students who attend four-year universities, and the numbers are growing. There are 16 public four-year institutions in North Carolina, serving about 39% of undergraduate students in the state. By comparison, there are 58 public community colleges, serving about 43 percent, according to a 2000 report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Students chose community colleges for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones is price. In 2001-02, in-state tuition and mandatory fees at public four-year institutions averaged $2,433 annually, and in-state tuition for full-time students at community colleges averaged $1,021.
Just as one example, Guildford Technical Community College in Jamestown costs $632 per semester for an in-state student studying full-time. Compare that figure to Winston Salem State University, where an in-state, full-time student pays $1,402.50.
Besides lower costs, there are other reasons students chose to attend a community college before transferring to a four-year university. Many believe that the small class sizes offered by community colleges allow them to better develop their academic skills, while also allowing them to enter a four-year university as a junior.
North Carolina’s population is expected to grow by 13 percent in the first decade of this century, but the projection for growth in the school-age population is closer to 20 percent, the National Center for Public Policy reported. As such, the state has placed a priority on increasing the percentage of residents who attend college. So to meet the anticipated enrollment demand, the state is undertaking initiatives that include strengthening community college transfers to public universities.
Transfer student Rebecca Morgan, 21, of Colfax came from Guildford Technical Community College. The 21-year-old said her biggest problem has been one that is shared by all students at WSSU – finding parking. “It’s really bad.”