Students from Jersey City Public High Schools and
Hudson County High Tech High School will receive college degrees on May 27.

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Class of 2021 will include 31 students from area high schools who earned associate degrees as part of the HCCC Early College program. The Early College graduates will receive their diplomas during the in-person Grad Walk on Thursday, May 27, 2021 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the HCCC Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street in Jersey City.

“We are so proud of our Early College graduates, most of whom will be receiving their college diplomas a few weeks ahead of getting their high school diplomas,” said HCCC President Chris Reber. He explained that the HCCC Early College program permits juniors and seniors living in Hudson County or attending County high schools to enroll in up to 18 college-level credits per academic year, and earn credits towards an associate degree. Credits earned in the program transfer toward baccalaureate degrees at four-year colleges and universities. 

Additionally, agreements with some high schools allow students the opportunity to earn a full Associate degree upon high school graduation with a combination of in-school, dual-enrollment classes and college courses taken after school. “Apart from the benefit of jump-starting their college education, students participating in the HCCC Early College program pay just half of the in-County tuition rate – a huge savings in comparison to tuition at four-year institutions,” Dr. Reber stated.

This the first year the College will present diplomas to students from the Jersey City Public Schools. Fourteen students from Dickinson High School are graduating with Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees in Environmental Studies; one student from Lincoln High School is graduating with an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree in Criminal Justice; and three students from Ferris High School are graduating with Associate of Science (A.S) degrees in Business Administration.

In addition, HCCC will celebrate its second graduating class of eleven students from Hudson County Schools of Technology High Tech High School, who will receive Associate of Science (A.S) degrees in Environmental Studies; and a first graduating class of two High Tech High School students who earned Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees in Science and Mathematics.#   #   # 
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers more than 60 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Fine and Performing Arts. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social mobility.

HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.