New JUMP Program Sets Up Students for Success
Image by Henry Marte 04/01/2026
Media Contacts: David Joyner, executive director of communications and digital media, David_Joyner@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, associate director of media relations, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen and Middlesex Community College (MCC) President Phil Sisson on Friday signed a new admissions and transfer agreement that will seamlessly allow students in select majors to complete an associate degree at MCC and then finish a bachelor’s degree at UMass Lowell.
Known as the Joint UMass Lowell-Middlesex Community College Pathways (JUMP) program, the agreement enhances the educational experience of MCC students pursuing their associate degrees at the college’s Lowell and Beford campuses.
“More than 300 students transfer each year from Middlesex Community College to UMass Lowell, and they’re amazing students. We want to make sure their transfer is seamless and that they move right into their future career paths. JUMP makes that happen,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “JUMP is about ensuring clarity and welcoming students to the UMass Lowell community. It is ultimately about our students’ success.
Transfer students comprise 30% of UMass Lowell’s incoming undergraduate population, according to 2024 university enrollment data. Of the total number of transfer students, 30% come to UMass Lowell from MCC – the largest percentage of students arriving from any community college.
“Transfer students are important to the success and the future of UMass Lowell – and UMass Lowell is essential to Middlesex Community College because our students want the comfort of being in a place where they know that they will be respected, that they will be valued and that they will have another home. And that home just happens to be down the street,” said Middlesex Community College President Phil Sisson.
The JUMP program offers the following to MCC students:
- Degree requirements at MCC and UMass Lowell will be locked in when students are accepted into the JUMP program at MCC; there will be no surprises if academic requirements for the degree change later.
- Course maps are built specifically so credits earned at MCC apply directly toward a UMass Lowell undergraduate degree.
- Dedicated advisors at both institutions will help participants coordinate their plan in one of four programs: Business, Psychology, Criminal Justice and English Literature. New majors will be added over time.
- Participants will gain access to UMass Lowell resources while still earning their associate degree at MCC including access to the UMass Lowell Library, the Campus Recreation Center and campus events.
- Each JUMP participant will receive a semester-by-semester course plan showing exactly what courses to take at MCC so their credits apply at UMass Lowell.
Students typically need at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA at MCC to enroll in the program, though some pathways may require a higher GPA. Participants also must earn a C- or higher in courses for which they want to transfer credit from MCC to UMass Lowell.
“This JUMP agreement represents our mutual investment in creating clearer, stronger and more supportive pathways for our students. This work that we do is grounded in the belief that transfer students should experience not confusion and unnecessary barriers but opportunity, clarity and really a genuine sense of belonging and understanding that UMass Lowell is their home,” said Julie Nash, UMass Lowell’s senior vice provost for academic affairs.
The new partnership reflects the growing interest in building a stronger bridge for community college students to complete a four-year education, buoyed in part by the success of the MassEducate and MassReconnect initiatives. Launched by Gov. Maura Healey, these programs provide a tuition- and fee-free education for Massachusetts residents who enroll at any of the state’s 15 community colleges.