September 23, 2025
Ferris State, Northwestern Michigan College partnering to improve access to bachelor’s degrees, support services
Ferris State University and Northwestern Michigan College are partnering to make it easier for NMC students to more easily transfer to Ferris State to improved access to bachelor degrees building skills in high-demand fields.
Ferris State President Bill Pink and NMC President Nick Nissley on Tuesday signed an agreement at NMC to enhance an existence transfer plan through the NMC Direct Connect Program, supporting NMC students in achieving a seamless, coordinated, and efficient transfer into select Ferris State bachelor's degree programs.
The agreement comes as Ferris State’s Traverse City Student Success Hub moves to a new location within NMC in the James Beckett Building.
Under the enhanced transfer plan, Ferris State will provide guaranteed admission for qualified applicants, program-specific admission requirements, and coordinated financial aid advising and support. NMC students also will have access to dual academic advising from both institutions.
Concurrent enrollment options allow students to pursue an NMC associate degree and a Ferris State bachelor's degree simultaneously.
The agreement takes effect with the beginning with the fall 2025 semester and will be reviewed in three years.
Available programs include Bachelor of Science degrees in Accountancy, Business Administration, Criminal Justice (Generalist), Early Childhood Education, Hospitality Management, Human Resource Management, Professional Esports Production, Project Management, and Risk Management and Insurance.
The Bachelor of Social Work program is taught in-person at NMC to help meet the demand for this growing field.
NMC students will continue to have access to Ferris State resources at the Student Success Hub, which is moving to a new location with other university partners.
The move, celebrated with an open house on Tuesday, was completed just before the start of the fall semester. About half of NMC students transfer to complete a four-year degree, many using services available in the center.
“We’re evolving from a physical hub to a more integrated partnership model, one that reflects how students learn today,” Nissley said. “Students increasingly seek flexibility: hybrid options, online support and services across multiple locations, not just in a single building.”
Ferris State is joined in the hub by Central Michigan University, Davenport University, Grand Valley State University and Michigan State’s Institute of Agricultural Technology. University Partner programs are concentrated in the areas of business, education and health and human services.
The physical move builds upon programmatic changes the universities and NMC have already made to create more seamless degree pathways, such as the Direct Connect program.
More than 10,000 area students have earned a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree since the University Partners were established in 1995, in response to the community’s desire for advanced degree options in Traverse City.