Rider University and Bucks forged a new program-to-program transfer agreement that allows 13 different majors from the community college to seamlessly transfer into Rider University.

Now Bucks students, with the help of their advisor, will be able to take the credits from their associate degree (A.A.) into Rider University with junior level status and peace of mind.

“The program takes the student through each semester, suggesting what they take based on

Bucks’ reccomended curriculum and then it shows how it comes into Rider, course by course -the whole way through. So it’s really a road map how to navigate what courses to take,” explained Elizabeth Giardinelli, transfer articulation coordinator at Rider.

In a symbolic gesture Rider University’s James P. O’Hara, vice president of enrollment management at Rider, and Bucks’ Provost Dr. Clayton Railey, III signed the agreement on Feb.19 in the Linksz Pavilion.

“These agreements with Rider will provide Bucks students with a broad range of opportunities to create a seamless transition across a wide variety of disciplines that our two schools support,” said Railey.

“The scope of these agreements leaves no discipline untouched, from the humanities to the sciences and much in between.”

For those graduating students who took part in Honors @ Bucks the agreement is Bucks’ first-ever honors-to-honors arrangement. This allows honors students who have graduated with an associate degree to be accepted directly into Rider’s Baccalaureate Honors program.

There are 13 majors that will transfer from Bucks to Rider; all of which can be found at Bucks.edu under transfer services.

“These specific programs we’ve chosen because a number of Bucks students are participating in them and they’re very strong academic programs at Rider. …we offer scholarships in values up to $19,000 per year,” said O’Hara.

As an added bonus for those who want to stay local after finishing Bucks, Rider University is only 13 miles from the Newtown campus.

While the Rider University deal is the first of its kind when it comes to honors degrees, Rider marks the newest school amongst the current program-to-program agreements and advising guides for specific majors with 35 schools. In addition, Bucks currently has transfer agreements with 55 different schools.

Ronni November, director of the advising & transfer center at Bucks said that Bucks students can transfer to any other school without an agreement such as the one between Bucks and Rider.

“However, the agreements do facilitate the process and help to assure a more seamless transfer experience for the student. Many of these agreements also include perks like scholarships and waiving of application fees,” said November.

Some of the schools that Bucks students can transfer to include: Temple, Penn State Abington, West Ches­ter, Gwynedd-Mercy, Drex­el, Holy Family, Kutztown, La Salle, Delaware Valley, Bloomsburg, East Strouds­burg, and Arcadia.

Anyone interested in the Bucks / Rider University transfer agreement should contact the Bucks Advising & Transfer Center at 215- 968-8031or Rider Univer­sity transfer admissions at 609-896-5042.