MAYHEW — A coalition of higher education agencies in Mississippi is partnering to help former college and university students complete their degrees.

The Mississippi Institutions of High Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board have launched Complete 2 Compete, a statewide initiative that targets adult learners 21 years or older who did not complete their degree and have been out of college for two years or more.

Mississippi Public Universities and the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges are assisting with implementation of the initiative.

According to the Complete 2 Compete website, more than 100,000 adults in Mississippi can earn their degrees by taking additional coursework, with many of those only needing a few classes to graduate.

“Students are linked with a coach who will help them identify what classes they need to take to finish their degree and help them maximize the credits they have already earned,” East Mississippi Community College Complete 2 Compete coach Michele Arney said.

Information about the program is available at www.msc2c.org. Former students can also opt-in to the program through an online app at www.c2cpathfinder.com. Returning students will be provided a list of schools that offer the classes they need to finish their degrees.

According a press release issued by the participating agencies, more than 28,000 adults in Mississippi have earned enough college credits to earn an associate’s degree, and more than 2,400 residents have enough credits to be awarded a bachelor’s degree. Under the initiative, public colleges and universities in the state will work with former students to ensure they are awarded their degrees.

“Starting with our 2016-17 catalog, students only needed 60 credit hours to graduate with their associate’s degrees and not 64 credit hours as was required before,” Arney said. “We have been graduating students who now have enough credit hours to earn their degree.”

Students who transferred to a four-year university from a community college may also be able to transfer their university credits back to the community college in what is being called a reverse transfer associate’s degree.

“Let’s say a student only needs 10 credit hours to graduate from EMCC and they go Mississippi State University where they earn 15 credits,” Arney said. “They can send their transcript back to EMCC and we can use those 15 credit hours towards their associate’s degree so they can graduate.”

Incentives in the program include grade forgiveness, online classes and flexible schedules, credit for learning or military experience, and financial aid in the form of scholarships, discounts and state grants. Tuition assistance grants will be available to qualified applicants beginning in 2018.

“Complete 2 Compete will grow our skilled, educated workforce, in turn growing economic development across the state,” Gov. Phil Bryant states in a press release. “This partnership will ensure Mississippi remains attractive to business and industry looking for a favorable tax climate and a workforce ready to excel on day one. I am grateful to everyone involved in making it a reality.”