RALEIGH - Registered nurses with an associate degree from a North Carolina community college may save time and money in earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at 10 private colleges because of a new agreement between the NC Community College System and NC Independent Colleges and Universities.

NCCCS Acting President Jennifer Haygood and NCICU President Hope Williams signed the articulation agreement Feb. 15.

"This agreement reduces barriers for registered nurses with associate degrees who want to continue their education," Haygood said. "It also creates a more seamless and rational transfer process for community college nursing students."

"The RN to BSN articulation agreement is an important supplement to the Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement and an excellent example of the partnerships between NCICU and NCCCS, in this case benefiting thousands of RNs across the state who seek to advance their careers with Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing," Williams said. "NCICU and NCCCS are already beginning work on additional supplemental agreements that are discipline-specific."

The agreement describes a progression degree plan that includes required general education and nursing prerequisite courses acceptable to all participating RN to BSN programs. Students who follow the plan and take those courses at community colleges will meet the entrance requirements for those RN to BSN programs. Nurses may apply to any of the programs without taking duplicate courses.

"Students will be able to plan with confidence that their community college courses will both transfer and satisfy requirements of participating NCICU campuses," Haygood said.

Under the agreement, a student who completes an Associate in Applied Science degree in Nursing with a GPA of at least 2.0 and a grade of C or better in specified courses, and who holds a current unrestricted license as a Registered Nurse in North Carolina, will have fulfilled the lower-division general education requirements and nursing program entry requirements for the participating colleges and universities. Because nursing program admissions are competitive, students are not guaranteed admission to the program of their choice.

The NCICU Board approved the agreement Feb. 9, and the State Board of Community Colleges approved it on Feb. 16.