Sandhills Community College will host an open house for high school students, current college students and anyone considering college transfer from 5 to 6:30 p.m. next Thursday in the Kennedy Hall lobby.

Representatives will be available to discuss all aspects of the college's University Studies program, which has been offering this convenient, money-saving opportunity longer than any comprehensive community college in North Carolina.

A transfer degree allows students to take the first two years of general education credits toward a four-year degree at a fraction of the cost of residential colleges and universities. Sandhills Community College credits are transferable to the University of North Carolina system's 16 universities and many private four-year colleges.

Students can earn associate in arts, associate in science or associate in fine arts degrees and go on to continue their education as juniors at the university.

On the Sandhills campus, students can also earn selected bachelor of arts or science and master of arts degrees from several universities.

"More and more students are discovering the transfer path as part of their education," said Linda Chandler, University Studies coordinator. "More than 6,280 students transferred from North Carolina's community colleges last fall to universities in our state."

For many years, studies by the N.C. Community College System have indicated that Sandhills' students do very well academically when they transfer. They consistently exceed state standards and system averages, plus they match or exceed the performance of native students of universities, a news release said.

More information about the University Studies program is available on the college's Web site.