PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — Pueblo Community College (PCC) and Colorado State University (CSU) Pueblo are updating an agreement that makes transferring between the two schools smoother and more affordable for southern Colorado students.
For years, PCC students have transferred into CSU Pueblo, but not always without surprises. The updated agreement sharpens and streamlines that process, giving students a clearer map from their first day at PCC to graduation at CSU Pueblo.
"Transferring here was kind of just, I want to stay home and I wanna make sure that I get my credits," said Daya Trujillo, a CSU Pueblo transfer student.
For Trujillo, staying close to home wasn't personal, it was practical. She started at PCC before transferring to CSU Pueblo, using her associate's degree as a bridge instead of a risk.
"I can figure out what career path I wanna take and what major I want to have before I go spend a whole bunch of money," said Trujillo.
At one point, she planned to leave the state for college, but financially staying local made more sense.
"Definitely 100%. I would say tuition's probably 20% here what it would have been somewhere else, and I get to stay. I live at home," said Trujillo.
Stories like Trujillo's are exactly why both campuses are now updating their articulation agreement.
"So, it's just really a map for students to understand what courses they're taking there, what courses they would take when they got here to CSU Pueblo to complete their bachelor's degree," said Jaime Peralta, BSW faculty at CSU Pueblo.
The agreement is a formal promise that credits earned at PCC transfer smoothly into CSU Pueblo degree programs.
"Curriculum evolves over time and so what's happening today is that we're making sure that all the transfer agreements that originally put in place are still applicable," said Kristyn White Davis, vice president of enrollment management at CSU Pueblo.
In the past, not every class transferred the way students expected.
"We don't have four-year degrees in areas such as English or philosophy or mathematics or biology," said Jennifer Sherman, vice president of academic support at PCC.
That's why over 40 faculty members from both campuses took a seat at the table to talk about each program one by one.
"To work on all those programs where we don't have a four year pathway for students and we wanna either create one with CSU Pueblo or dust them off," said Sherman.
For Trujillo, that structure meant she arrived at CSU Pueblo already ahead.
"When I came to CSUP I was already in like the upper level math classes that I needed to be taking," said Trujillo.
Now she's double majoring and already planning beyond graduation.
"I think I'm gonna work somewhere in finance or with data analytics," said Trujillo.
___
Goat bell ringer helps Salvation Army spread holiday cheer in Pueblo
A three-year-old goat named Pongo is making the holidays brighter for families in southern Colorado, one bell ring at a time.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
