Albertus Magnus College Announces Partnership with Messina College
Agreement Provides Pathways to Future Degrees
New Haven, Conn., September 3, 2025 – Albertus Magnus College remains committed to its almost 100-year-old promise — to provide access to higher education, particularly for those from low-income communities that have had limited access to adequate higher education. Albertus is pleased to announce a Two Plus Two Agreement with Messina College, a two-year residential associate’s degree program and the ninth school within Boston College. Messina College is specifically designed for first-generation, high financial need students, who have the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree and then either transfer to a bachelor’s degree program or enter the workforce.
This Two Plus Two Agreement provides a pathway for Messina graduates with associate’s degrees in Data Science, Applied Psychology and Human Development, General Business, or Health Sciences to earn an Albertus bachelor degree. As part of the agreement, a limited number of renewable merit-based scholarships, ranging from $18,000 to $32,000, are available for Messina graduates (based on awards for the 2025-2026 academic year).
“Our partnership with Messina College represents an exciting opportunity to provide Messina graduates with a clear, supportive pathway to continue their academic journey. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to student success, academic excellence, and expanding access to affordable, high-quality liberal arts education. stated Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Dr. Rosa Rivera-Hainaj. “Together, we are creating seamless transitions that empower students to achieve their goals, thrive in their chosen fields and be their purpose.”
Members of the Messina community agree that this is a great collaboration between the two institutions.
“As we approach our first graduation at Messina College, I am excited to partner with Albertus Magnus, an institution that shares our mission and cares deeply about student success. I look forward to seeing this partnership unfold and following our students as they reach their educational goals” said Erick Berrelleza, S.J., Dean , Messina College.
This agreement underscores Albertus’ commitment to access to higher education as it enters its Second Century of Academic Excellence. For nine consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained full-time employment or gone onto graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees.
About Albertus Magnus College
Albertus Magnus College, founded in 1925, is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. As New England's most diverse Catholic College, Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For eight consecutive years, graduating classes at Albertus have achieved post-graduate employment and graduate school success at a rate of at least 95%. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and 12 graduate programs. Proud to enroll a student body where more than half of its students come from minority backgrounds with nearly the same percentage of undergraduates receiving Federal Pell Grants and being first generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, General Health Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, Public Health, and Supply Chain Management; among its graduate programs is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program. Just two years from its historic 100 th Anniversary Year, the College is implementing its Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, which articulates an inspiring, bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.