Students who attend Beaufort County Community College will have an opportunity to meet representatives from 17 public and private colleges from around the state today from noon to 1:45 p.m. in the library, located in Building 5.

The Transfer Fair will provide students the opportunity to show their current transcripts to college representatives and talk with them about prerequisite courses and possible majors.

Institutions such as Barton College, Chowan University, Shaw University, East Carolina University, N.C. A&T State University, N.C. Wesleyan, UNC-Wilmington and Western Carolina University will be on hand. Faculty members are working with students ahead of time to help them ask appropriate questions during the fair.

Many students are still making up their minds about what kind of program they would like to pursue. BCCC offers an associate in arts or an associate in science degree that provides students a less expensive choice to complete pre-major courses and to stay close to home. Students who have not considered a four-year degree may find a program that is both affordable and appropriate.

According to the Pew Research Center, millennials with college degrees under 32 years old are, on average, earning $17,500 more than their peers with only a high school degree. The average wages of workers with only a high school degree have fallen in recent years, and the earnings of college graduates have risen.

As the cost of four-year institutions continues to rise, BCCC offers students a start to a four-year degree. BCCC’s small class sizes and personal attention help students who would otherwise have a hard time transitioning from high school to college to develop independent study skills and work habits.

In the last few years, the average age of a BCCC student has trended downward as more students use the community college as an affordable way to start to a four-year degree. In response to this trend, the college has increased its articulation agreements with universities and colleges. These agreements assure that coursework at the college will meet the requirements of specific programs at the institutions where students will continue their education. One such program, PackTrac, allows students to start any of 13 agriculture and life science programs at N.C. State at BCCC.