Portland Community College students now have a direct route to a four-year degree at Salem's Willamette University.

Willamette announced Oct. 27 that PCC is the newest partner in its Bearcat Pathway, a transfer program that maps out coursework, guarantees credit transfers and pairs students with advising support.

The pathway is open now to current PCC students planning to transfer in fall 2027.

PCC is the third community college to join the program. Chemeketa Community College signed on in 2024, and Clackamas Community College followed in 2025.

Willamette said it created the Bearcat Pathway two years ago.

The addition matters locally because it widens the pipeline into Salem's flagship private university. PCC enrolled 58,294 total unduplicated students in the 2025–26 academic year, according to the college's institutional data.

Fifty-seven percent of PCC credit students are first-generation college students, meaning neither parent nor guardian completed a four-year degree.

Students who follow the pathway and are admitted to Willamette can transfer up to 64 credits, according to the university's program page.

That puts them on track to graduate within two years of enrolling at Willamette.

The national numbers underscore why the program exists. About 80 percent of community college students aspire to a bachelor's degree, yet only 16 percent earn one within six years of starting college, according to Willamette's announcement.

"We want students who know that Willamette is the right fit for them to have a clear understanding of how to get here, and provide the support they need along the way," Sue Corner, Willamette's dean of undergraduate admissions, said in the announcement.

Bridget Jones, PCC's dean of enrollment management, said the partnership gives PCC students "another clear pathway to completing a bachelor's degree."

"By simplifying the transfer process, we're helping students build on their success at PCC and confidently take the next step toward their educational and career goals," Jones said.

Current PCC students interested in the fall 2027 transfer can find program details and course maps on Willamette's Bearcat Pathway page.