BIDDEFORD — The University of New England and York County Community College on Monday signed a partnership that will allow students seeking bachelor’s degrees to easily transfer their credits to the university upon graduating from YCCC.

The “2 + 2 Transfer,” as the partnership is known, signed by both UNE President Danielle Ripich and YCCC President Barbara Finkelstein on Monday, will allow students who have received associate’s degrees in certain disciplines from YCCC to enter into 21 programs at UNE as full-fledged junior undergraduate students.

Those students will then be eligible to receive their degrees within two years of study.

Jeanne Hey, dean of UNE’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said the partnership will allow YCCC students who want to transfer to UNE to select their community courses in order to transfer easily.

“York County Community College students can always come to UNE, but with this they’ll be able to transfer with the full knowledge of what classes to take at community college,” Hey said.

Hey said many community college students intend to earn associate degrees before transferring to four-year institutions, but are often unsure what courses they’ve taken will count toward their four-year degrees. Students often find they have to repeat courses after transferring.

But, Hey said, UNE has worked with YCCC to map specific programs by matching courses appropriate for each area of study at the university.

“(The transfer is) not completely different. It’s just more accessible, transparent and user-friendly,” Hey said.

The program follows the format of similar partnerships formed between UNE and several other Maine Community College System institutions, including Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, Washington County Community College in Calais and Central Maine Community College in Auburn.

Finkelstein, said the idea to partner with UNE came while she and Ripich had lunch together about nine months ago.

“We chatted about how we should be doing some more partnerships and how there’s a great advantage to both institutions to have these partnerships in place,” Finkelstein said. “I thought we’d have maybe one or two, but instead we have 17 that are in the works.”

These include 17 bachelor of science programs within the biological sciences, business, education, marine science and neuroscience; and bachelor of arts degrees in English, history, liberal studies, political science and applied social and cultural studies. Those programs are housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The remaining four articulations will let students transfer into the university’s College of Health Professions to pursue degrees in dental hygiene, public health, applied exercise science and health, wellness and occupational studies.

The partnership will let students have both the experience of a university while enjoying the convenience and cost savings of community college.

“It really saves (students) on the total cost of their undergraduate education,” Finkelstein said.

This new agreement is just one of many already in place at YCCC, which enrolled more than 1,700 students last fall.

The college already has various articulation partnerships with Husson University, Southern New Hampshire University, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and the University of Maine at Fort Kent, among many other institutions.

“We’re looking for partners both in the public and private, higher-education sectors,” Finkelstein said, saying the college is continually expanding its partnerships with four-year colleges and universities in the state.

On Thursday, Finkelstein will travel to SMCC to sign a formal articulation agreement with Glenn Cummings, current president of the University of Southern Maine. That agreement, though more general than that signed with UNE on Monday, represents a growing expansion of YCCC programming.

In June, the college broke ground on a new 18,000- square-foot facility that in addition to offices will house eight classrooms, a learning lab, student common rooms and a 140-seat auditorium and lecture hall.

It’s a much-needed addition, given the current facilities at YCCC were built in 1995 and intended to only accommodate about 1,100 students.

Work on that project is being completed at an estimated cost of $8.4 million, 40 percent of which was paid for by the state. It is expected to be completed by fall 2017.

Finkelstein said the articulation with UNE became effective once the agreement was signed Monday, meaning any YCCC graduates who currently hold associate degrees – including those who only just received their diplomas in May – are eligible for the partnership if they are allotted a space among UNE’s more than 2,200 undergraduate students.

“Were trying to create opportunities for students in many, many different areas and both the University of New England and York County Community College is focused on student success,” Finkelstein said. “So I think that the ultimate reason we’re pursuing these articulations is we want to see our students as successful and, whatever pathway we can carve, so much the better.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.