New agreement gives Wake Tech grads a path to William Peace at reduced cost

On Thursday, staff and leaders from Wake Tech Community College and William Peace University gathered at the Wake Tech Scott Northern Wake Campus to announce a new agreement between the two institutions that guarantees admission and a significant price break for Wake Tech graduates transferring to William Peace.

The new agreement is part of the Peace Pathways program. According to Wake Tech, the program was established in 2023 with fifteen articulation agreements between Wake Tech and William Peace that created a high-value path for Wake Tech graduates to maximize the number of credits in a variety of program areas that transfer to William Peace. It takes effect this fall.

"This just pulls us even tighter together and allows our students, our Wake Tech students, who then become Peace students, to see how straight that pathway is, how possible that pathway is," said Dr. Scott Rails, Wake Tech president. "They know there’s a return on their investment. They know there's value. And they know there's opportunity through Wake Tech and through Peace.”  

Under the new agreement, tuition for Wake Tech graduates at William Peace will be set at $10,000 per year for in-person classes, and $290 per credit hour for online classes. Graduates will not have to pay an application fee.

According to William Peace University’s website, full-time student tuition for a traditional undergraduate student is currently $34,530 per year, including books. The part-time student tuition is $1,120 per credit hour. The agreement also gives Wake Tech graduates access to comprehensive advising and support services, even before the transfer takes place.

"What’s most important is student success. Wake Tech and Peace have long had these shared values for accessibility, affordability and student success, but now we’ve been able to achieve all of those things at one time,” said William Peace President Dr. Lynn Morton

In addition to signing the agreement, Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls and William Peace University President Dr. Lynn Morton signed a memorandum of understanding, guaranteeing Wake Tech criminal justice and paralegal graduates can earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice within two years.

Wake Tech currently has agreements with 15 UNC System schools, one out-of-state public school, and 37 private schools.