Union County College (TCNJ)

2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ

About
Union County College, located in Cranford, New Jersey, was founded in 1933 and was originally now as Union County Junior College. It is one of the oldest community colleges in New Jersey, though in its early years was underfunded, resulting in space rental from local high schools in order to hold classes and its original purpose was less to educate individuals, but rather to provide employment for unemployed teachers. The initial hardships of the school were slowly turned as enrollment grew and emphasis on career training emerged after the end of World War II. Though it had obtained independent status earlier, the school merged with Union County Technical Institute in Scotch Plains in 1983, and once again became a full public institution and taking the name Union County College. The school has over the years demonstrated competence in educating its students, with graduates performing better than the national average in regards to default rates, though the rest of the state maintains an average higher than the nation's.

Academics
Union County College offers a varied number of programs, allowing students to pursue academic transfer and career training opportunities. Academic transfer programs allow students to complete the freshman and sophomore years of a four year education followed by transfer to a four year institution to complete their desired bachelor's degree over another two years. Students will apply to a four year institution upon completion their first two year, with public schools in New Jersey having agreements in place with UCC in order to ease transfer by providing academic guidelines for transfer. Transfer requirements typically vary by school and it is suggested that students meet with an academic advisor to plan a curriculum to best meet the requirements for transfer to one's desired school or schools.

Career training programs are often in high demand fields and reflect the needs of the community. Individuals enrolled in a career or technical program will receive an education that is designed to train individuals in the skills and abilities necessary to become a professional in their field of study. Programs take between one and two years to complete, resulting in an associate degree or certificate that demonstrates competency and allows for the immediate entry into the workforce at the entry level. Courses may be practical or classroom oriented based on the needs of the program, but all provide opportunity to develop experience prior to employment.

Programs offered include:

• Accounting
• Liberal Arts
• Sonography
• Criminal Justice
• Communications

Admissions and Financial Aid
Union County College is an open enrollment institution that admits any applicant that meets the minimum requirements for admission through the submission of an admissions application. Applicants are required to provide all transcripts or GED test scores, take a placement test, and provide standardized test scores. Students are also encourage to meet with a counselor to choose a program of study and develop a curriculum as well as participate in student orientation.

Financial aid is available in the form of loans, grants and scholarships. Students in need of financial assistance must complete the Free Application for Federal Student AID (FAFSA), which will then result in a student aid report (SAR) the information from which is used by the financial aid office to identify financial need, aid program eligibility, and monetary awards, after which a financial aid packet is developed and presented to the student. Students may be asked to provide further financial information prior to the disbursement of funds as per new federal regulations governing financial aid. New applications for aid must be submitted prior to the start of each academic year due to changing financial circumstances from year to year.