Fresno City College unveils 15 to Finish program to keep students on track

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Staying on the right path and using time wisely - that's the message Fresno City College leaders are sending to students when it comes to getting a degree.

On Monday morning, FCC kicked off the "15 to Finish" initiative. The goal of the new program is to encourage students to take 15 units each semester in order to transfer to a university in two years.

"We're one of the regions in California that are doing this 15 to Finish initiative because we are an innovated college, and we want to provide something that's innovated for our students," Jaime Duran with the college explained.

Duran says only 10 percent of first-time students enroll in 15 or more units and they reach their academic goal in two years. While students who only take 12 units complete their studies in three years.

The school says this will help students transfer with a much higher success rate and in a more timely manner, but the focus isn't just on students transferring to a UC or CSU.

"But we're also focus on students who want to get an associate's degree or a certificate from Fresno City College," Duran said. "We offer a wide range of programs here that don't necessarily require transferring. We want to help to all students accomplish their goal."

Academic counselors were on hand to meet with students to develop an educational plan so they can see what their path would look like if they take 15 units every semester.

A number of students wanted to know how their work schedule or academic program would fit in.

"It really just depends on the workload of the student," student Tarot Norris said. "The way I'm taking my units specifically is that I wanted to work as well."

"I'm currently working as an LVN license vocational nurse," student Thanh Nguyen explained. "So, I want to have another year and a half to finish from LVN to RN. So, that way I came here to check it out."

FCC leaders say there is no change in tuition for the "15 to Finish" initiative and a full list of courses is offered with additional classes being added soon.