Innovative educational leaders National University and Palomar College re-commit to expand seamless transfer pathways for students and employees
SAN DIEGO, CA (March 14, 2025) — National University (NU) — a nonprofit, Veteran-founded Institution that serves more than 130,000 nontraditional, working, and military students annually through its degree and professional training programs and Palomar College (Palomar), a public two-year community college that serves nearly 30,000 full-time and part-time students annually, today announced the reaffirmation and expansion of their commitment around access and success.
“More and more nontraditional students need more flexible, low-cost, high-quality options to make higher education possible and to better prepare them for workforce opportunities,” said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president and CEO of National University. “Both National University and Palomar College share a vision of transforming lives for a better future by opening innovative and easy-to-navigate transfer pathways for these striving students.”
National University and Palomar College, both access and success focused institutions, originally formed a partnership in 2022 to provide Palomar nursing students with a direct pipeline to a bachelor’s degree while also providing tuition scholarship assistance. The renewed and expanded agreement now grants current Palomar students and recent alumni holding a transferable associate degree a 25 percent tuition reduction. Palomar students who complete an associate degree for transfer (ADT) are also eligible for the ADT scholarship, which offers a 46 percent reduction in tuition upon transferring to National University within 36 months of ADT completion.
“Our expanded collaboration with National University demonstrates our unwavering commitment to student success,” said Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey, superintendent/president of Palomar College.“ Our diverse student body, inclusive of working adults, will benefit greatly from these additional degree completion pathways and tuition reduction programs at National University.”
The NU to Palomar pathway provides affordable bachelor’s degree options including:
– RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing
– Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
– Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership (Military Leadership Program)
– Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
– Bachelor of Science in Construction Management
Additionally, the partnership offers Palomar employees educational advancement opportunities through a 25% tuition discount scholarship for most bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a 15% tuition discount scholarship for doctoral degrees. To further support students, NU has an on-site advisor at Palomar College’s Rancho Bernardo Education Center dedicated to facilitating the transfer and enrollment process.
“National University is deeply committed to expanding the partnership with Palomar College to prepare next-generation leaders and create accessible pathways for community college students to continue on their educational journey and transform their lives to a better future,” said Dr. Gerardo de los Santos, vice president of community college relations at National University and inductee into the American Association of Community College Leadership Hall of Fame. “Working together, we can help our students to overcome financial barriers and increase economic mobility.”
About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of nontraditional, working, and military students by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 190 online and on-campus programs with flexible four-week and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 130,000 learners served per year—50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students—and 245,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. To learn more about National University’s new possibilities in education including next-generation education, value-rich education, and whole human education, visit NU.edu.
About Palomar College: Palomar College is a public two-year community college, with a main campus in San Marcos, three education centers, (Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, Fallbrook) and an education site at Camp Pendleton. Palomar enrolls approximately 29,000 full-time and part-time students. Residents of California are charged only $46 per unit. At Palomar, students may choose from more than 250 associate degrees and certificate programs while completing the first two years of a bachelor’s degree, training for a career, or enjoying personal enrichment classes for lifelong learning. Courses are offered onsite and online. For more information, visit www.Palomar.edu/.