Beginning fall 2026, students who graduate from Salt Lake Community College will be able to transfer to Utah Valley University through a simpler process.
The new agreement removes application fees and guarantees admission for eligible students who want to earn a bachelor’s degree. College officials say the partnership helps students avoid delays, feel less confused and stay on track.
For many community college students, transferring can mean filling out multiple applications, paying extra costs, and worrying about credits or scholarships. SLCC leaders say the new pathway helps solve these problems.
How the process works
Jamie Cooper, SLCC’s provost for academic affairs and chief academic officer, explained how the new transfer process to UVU works and said it includes a simpler application.
“Any student who graduates with an associate degree is guaranteed admission,” Cooper said.
Students who graduated in fall 2025 and those who complete their degrees in the spring semester will be able to transfer right away under the new process. The agreement matches the open-enrollment policies of both schools, making the partnership a good fit.
Cooper said the college plans to create similar agreements with other universities across the state, so students who meet the requirements can move more easily to the next level of higher education.
“For UVU … as long as you have an associate degree, you automatically get admitted to the U.,” Cooper said.
One of the most popular majors among students who transfer is exercise science, Cooper said.
Cooper added that UVU has a transfer-friendly policy that focuses on streamlining a student’s degree path, adding that many students are interested in stronger cooperation between colleges and universities.
Keeping scholarships
Scholarships are important for many students who want to continue their education. Cooper said students who transfer to UVU may be able to keep financial support like they were receiving at SLCC.
“They’ve said, if you have certain kinds of scholarships here at SLCC, they will try to match those when you go to UVU,” Cooper said.
Rachel Divine Lewis, associate provost for academic systems at SLCC, shared more information about the agreement.
“There’s no admission fee. There’s no cost associated. UVU will get that. Automatic admission, and then, when able to, match scholarships,” Lewis said.
Lewis said UVU was the first university to contact SLCC and create a formal transfer pathway.
“They recognized the quality of our students, the caliber, what we have available, and they said, ‘We want you.’” Lewis said. “And we went, ‘Okay, how can we make this happen?’”
Expanding the transfer process
Cooper’s team has spent the past six to nine months talking with universities across Utah to better support students during the transfer process.
Lewis said SLCC is also in discussions with the University of Utah and Utah State University to create similar agreements in future semesters. The details for those partnerships are still being decided.
“We’re going to expand that, which is very exciting for our students, so they can find their majors, achieve their academic goals in ways that we’re partnering better with our universities,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the most common majors among SLCC students who transfer to UVU are business, nursing and psychology.
While transferring can still feel stressful for some students, Lewis said the college is committed to improving the process and helping students stay on track academically.
More information about transfer pathways is available through SLCC’s academic advising offices and on the official UVU website.
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