A new program allowing students to enroll simultaneously at Pima Community College and the UA will likely give participants the chance to live in UA residence halls even if they are only taking PCC classes.
Students enrolled in the program, which is set to launch in the fall, would also be able to purchase a CatCard and use the UA libraries and Student Recreation Center without taking any UA classes, according to organizers' plans.
The program allows qualified Pima County high school graduates to enroll simultaneously at the UA and PCC, but they take only community college classes until they decide to switch into UA classes.
It was announced over winter break, but organizers have spent much of the spring semester working out details.
Now, the program is beginning to take shape, and officials are hoping for an enrollment in the hundreds in the fall.
"We're hoping to have a couple of hundred students," said Ann Huber, the UA's associate director of admissions. "This being the first time we're doing it, I have no idea how close to on-target that might be."
Only students invited to join the program will be allowed to enroll. To qualify for an invitation, students must have graduated in the top 25 percent from a Pima County high school, and may not have previously attended the UA.
Home-schooled high school students can qualify with a score of 1110 on the SAT or 24 on the ACT, and must also qualify for certain PCC classes. International students will also have to comply with all applicable federal regulations.
Students who enroll in the program will also be eligible for academic advising and financial aid counseling from both institutions.
Because most of the invitations to join the program won't be sent out until school starts in August, its students may not even have the opportunity to live in residence halls this fall, UA officials said.
"It's not likely that we'd be talking about any students living on campus in this coming fall," said Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life.
And because the UA is likely to decrease the size of its incoming freshman classes in the future as part of its Focused Excellence initiative, a few PCC students living in the residence halls would not likely displace students taking classes at the UA, he said.
"The math that I do suggests that as long as the freshman class size is going in the direction that we anticipate it to go in at this point, that's not a problem," Van Arsdel said.
Van Arsdel estimated that only about 20 people per year enrolled in the program would be living in the residence halls, about one-third of 1 percent of the total residence hall population.
By allowing students to take advantage of UA resources while only enrolled in PCC classes, the two schools are hoping to encourage more students to transition from community college to the university, and eventually go on to earn a bachelor's degree.
"What we're doing is building possibilities, creating opportunities for the student," PCC Chancellor Roy Flores said. "It shows the kind of collaboration the community college and the university can achieve."
The program targets students from underrepresented minorities and poor backgrounds, many of whom might not ever consider attending a university or might feel intimidated by the UA's size.
"We want to increase the number of students getting four-year degrees," said Patti Ota, the UA's vice president of enrollment management.
UA officials have long said they want to improve the university's graduation rate, which now sits at 55 percent, a number President Peter Likins has called an "embarrassment."
Community members seemed supportive of the joint admissions program when it was announced during the winter, though some worried it might discourage some students from going directly to the UA out of high school.
Since then, UA officials said they haven't heard much feedback from outside the university. But based on reactions to the initial announcement, they're optimistic it will win community support.
"The response has been very positive, folks wanting to know more about it, folks wanting to participate in it," Huber said.