Lone Star College, University of Houston-Downtown team up for student success

HOUSTON, TX -- Lone Star College and University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) have a long tradition of helping students seamlessly transfer to help them complete their bachelor's degree close to home at an affordable rate.

“Lone Star College and the University of Houston-Downtown have a joint admissions partnership which allows students to be admitted to both institutions while attending Lone Star College,” said Jamie Posey, LSC associate vice chancellor, Office of Student Success and Completion. “These joint admissions students enjoy many beneficial services from both institutions including library privileges, advising services and more.”

LSC and UHD are also members of the Houston Guided Pathways to Success program which allows students to enjoy simplified, seamless transfers from community colleges to public universities. Since 2022, more than 2,000 students have transferred from LSC to UHD.

“Lone Star College prepared me for my transfer to a university by providing all the guidance and resources necessary to ensure the process was seamless,” said Diana Cantu, former LSC-University Park and current UHD student. “The transfer process was simple and easy to go through, all of my credits were transferred and were applied to my degree.”

Students with more than 15 college-level credits from a regionally accredited institution can qualify for transfer undergraduate admission to UHD. Students taking college coursework while concurrently enrolled in high school and before their graduation are considered freshmen applicants.

“The strength of the partnership between University of Houston-Downtown and Lone Star College is evident when you consider that 14 of the 27 incoming Transfer Merit Scholars came directly from one of the Lone Star College campuses,” said Daniel Villanueva, Jr., Ph.D., UHD vice president Division of Enrollment Management. “This is a remarkable testament to the work that both institutions have put in to ensure that transfer students have a seamless transition from the community college to the university.”

The UHD Transfer Merit Scholarship awards students a two-year full-ride scholarship that covers their tuition and fees. In addition, students receive a stipend to assist with other expenses. The UHD General Scholarship Committee approves candidates based on academic merit who will work closely as a cohort throughout the remaining of their time at UHD with academic success programming, wraparound services and social events until they graduate.

“To be named a UHD Transfer Merit Scholar is indescribable,” said Jaxon Raye, former LSC-Kingwood and current UHD student. “My parents gave me the task of figuring out how to pay for my college education which was stressful. Now that I am a Transfer Merit Scholar, I am able to fully apply myself within my classes and am able to engage the community at UHD without the financial burden on my shoulders.”

The 14 LSC incoming Transfer Merit scholars are Esmeralda Alvarado, Maria Barragan, Diana Cantu, Kimberly Cepeda, Carmen Coleman, Edgar Garza, Marlene Hernandez, Ilona Lumpkin, Skyler Phillips, Jaxon Raye, Ashley Rodriguez, Alexandria Soto, Justin Vasquez and Joice Velasquez.

“These students were identified via a separate application process which included a written or video essay and an interview,” said Villanueva. “Each of the scholarship recipients shared remarkable stories of overcoming immense life challenges while maintaining a high academic GPA.”