Nashville State Community College forms transfer agreement with Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Nashville State Community College and Southern Illinois University Carbondale have formed a partnership that will allow Nashville State Community College students to continue their education and earn a bachelor degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale easier, and more financially feasible, than ever. 

According to an article on Nashville State Community College’s website, Shanna L. Jackson, who serves as the president of Nashville State Community College, was quoted as saying of the new partnership, “Nashville State is on the move to increase economic mobility for the communities we serve by preparing students to start a career or successfully transfer to institutions like Southern Illinois University Carbondale. We are excited to extend that bridge of opportunity from Nashville State to SIU Carbondale.”

The Saluki Step Ahead program is going to make it easier for Nashville State Community College graduates who have associate degrees to continue on to earning a bachelor degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The agreement means that these students will start as juniors at SIU Carbondale and will receive $4,000 scholarships for the remaining two years of their degree. It also means that the students will be treated as in-state Illinois residents for the purposes of tuition rates, giving them a further discount as they work toward a bachelor degree. Students will be completing their degrees online.

Austin A. Lane, the chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, said of the partnership, “I am excited about this partnership. It’s a real game-changer for students who may have limited resources and can’t relocate because of their job or family obligations. SIU Carbondale is providing Nashville State Community College graduates a seamless path to a bachelor's degree, saving them time and money. And if students can’t come to us in Carbondale, Illinois, we are bringing the experience and resources of a doctoral research university to them through Saluki Step Ahead.”

The associate degrees that will qualify for transfer to Southern Illinois State University Carbondale are accounting, business administration, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, industrial management and applied engineering, information technology, nursing, and psychology.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale has 48 Saluki Step Ahead partnerships with community colleges throughout Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.

For more information about Nashville State Community College, visit the school’s website.