Westfield State University has struck a deal with Holyoke Community College to cap tuition and fees for a four-year degree at $30,000 for transferring students.

“We really think that if we can tell a student up-front exactly what the cost of their degree is going to be, and if we can keep the total cost as low as possible by partnering with one of the local community colleges, we can reach a group of students who would not have thought otherwise that a college degree was within their reach,” says Elizabeth Preston, the interim president at Westfield State.

The cap covers only tuition and fees, and there are restrictions, including a minimum grade point average and a time limit. Students need to earn their associates degree within three years and graduate from Westfield State within another three years. Also, not all programs at the university are included.

“Some of our programs frankly are too expensive for us to be able to make that kind of an arrangement with,” she says. “I would use our nursing program as an example. But it is many of our programs and it is most of our largest programs, including criminal justice, education, psychology, so forth.”

Westfield State has a similar arrangement with Springfield Technical Community College. Preston says the university is open to expanding the program to include other community colleges.