Visitors to Butler County Community College’s Armstrong Campus at an October 29 Open House can learn how 75 percent of BC3 graduates are debt-free.
Leota McDivitt, of Ford City, is shown Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Butler County Community College’s commencement exercises. McDivitt earned associate degrees in general studies and in psychology from BC3 @ Armstrong and graduated debt-free.
BC3 will waive its $25 application fee for those who apply for admission during the open house, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at BC3 @ Armstrong, 104 Armstrong St., Ford City.
Visitors can also learn about BC3’s flexible course scheduling options that meet students’ needs, and about associate degree programs that enable students to transfer to a four-year college or university or start a career upon graduation.
Eighty percent of BC3 students receive grants and scholarships to help them pay for their education. U.S. Department of Education data also show that BC3’s tuition is more affordable than that of 41 other regional colleges and universities.
Seventy-one percent of Pennsylvania college graduates have student loan debt, according to The Institute for College Access & Success. The average student loan debt in Pennsylvania is $36,193 - the highest in the nation, LendEdu reported Aug. 8. The Pittsburgh metropolitan area also leads the nation with nearly 13 percent of borrowers owing more in student loan debt than they do on their homes, MagnifyMoney reported Oct. 3.
Seventy-five percent of BC3 graduates are debt-free.
Lindsey Schall, of Kittanning, is shown Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at Butler County Community College’s commencement exercises. Schall earned associate degrees in general studies and in psychology from BC3 @ Armstrong and graduated debt-free.
Among them, Leota McDivitt, of Ford City, and Lindsey Schall, of Kittanning.
“My decision to attend BC3 @ Armstrong is one of the best decisions I have ever made,” said McDivitt, who graduated from BC3 in May with associate degrees in general studies and in psychology. “With BC3 @ Armstrong’s campus being so close to home, commuting was a breeze.”
Schall also earned associate degrees in general studies and in psychology in May after attending BC3 @ Armstrong.
“I was rather nervous to go to college, as it would be completely different from what I was used to,” Schall said. “I was so relieved by how kind the staff was and how capable and understanding the professors were. … I am so thankful I was able to have fun, informative sources at such a convenient distance from home.”
The BC3 Education Foundation awards nearly $200,000 in scholarships each year. BC3’s top-ranked salary-to-cost ratio means graduates will earn the most compared to what they spend to attend BC3.
5 scheduling options each semester
Traditional and nontraditional students can capitalize on BC3 @ Armstrong’s 14- and 10-week sessions, and its five-week Fast Tracks, held consecutively throughout the semester and in which students can take three-credit courses that are among BC3’s more than 100 online classes.
High school students attending BC3 @ Armstrong’s open house can learn how to earn transferrable college credits through BC3’s College Within the High School and College Pathways programs.
BC3 @ Armstrong’s credits in business administration, general studies and psychology can be transferred toward bachelor’s degrees at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Additionally, students who complete a BC3 @ Armstrong degree in business administration or psychology can transfer with junior standing to any Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institution, such as Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities of Pennsylvania.
Bachelor’s degree-completion programs on menu
BC3’s unique partnerships also enable students to complete a bachelor’s degree online in communications-public relations, and in nursing, from Chatham University; in business administration, from Franklin University; in human resource management, from Point Park University; in administration of justice, from the University of Pittsburgh; and in nursing, from Waynesburg University.
Visitors can RSVP to the open house at bc3.edu/open-houses.
BC3 has been ranked the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania in back-to-back surveys by Schools.com.