(Archive April 2018) Commit to the Commonwealth Commitment Program

By Zach Pavlosky | Observer Contributor

Transfer counselor Sarah Pingeton provided details on the Commonwealth Commitment Program, how beneficial it is for students, and the steps that are being taken to broaden eligibility.

Pingeton described the Commonwealth Commitment Program as “a statewide initiative where students can transfer to a four-year university.” There are currently 12-15 active students enrolled in the program. Pingeton said, “It’s a program that students have been really interested in…I think it represents a good opportunity for students.” 

The colloquially named “ComCom” is not for all students, however. As of now, only full-time students may enroll in the program. However, Pingeton stated that part-time students would become eligible in Fall 2018. When the program was first launched in Fall 2016, only Biology, Chemistry, Economics, History, Political Science and Psychology were available as eligible majors. The Fall 2017 semester welcomed the arrival of ten additional majors including, English, Liberal Arts, Business and Computer Science. Pingeton noted that more majors will become eligible in Fall 2018.

The program is open only to Massachusetts residents and students must also maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Once enrolled in the program, students enjoy a host of benefits. According to the program’s application form, students will have a freeze on tuition and mandatory fee rates from when they enter the program at a community college and until they graduate from the transfer university of their choice. They will also receive a 10% rebate off frozen community college tuition and mandatory fees at the end of every successfully completed semester, as well as a full transfer of credit.

When asked about the future of the Commonwealth Commitment Program, Pingeton was optimistic, saying, “From what I’ve seen, the improvements with ‘ComCom 2.0’ will address many of the pitfalls that came with the initial rollout of the program.” Pingeton was referring to the program requirement of being full-time, as well as the small selection of majors. Fortunately, both of those issues will be rectified in the future.