The program became official on Dec. 10, 2024, when COM-FSM President and CEO Theresa Koroivulaono and UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez signed a Memorandum of Agreement.

“We are proud to strengthen our ties with the College of Micronesia and expand educational opportunities for students across the Federated States of Micronesia,” Enriquez said. “This partnership reflects our commitment to building the next generation of agricultural leaders in our island communities. This pathway ensures that the dreams of students with a passion for agricultural innovation can take root and flourish.”

The two institutions worked together to identify courses at COM-FSM that satisfy the general education requirements needed for a bachelor’s at UOG. The result is a more efficient pathway to a four-year degree that avoids any potential duplication of credits.

“Partnerships like this one underscore the critical importance of collaborating meaningfully and affordably,” Koroivulaono said. “The University of Guam continues to offer innovative and relevant solutions to scale our educational opportunities with four-year institutions so that our students do not have to travel too far from home. The College of Micronesia-FSM champions access, innovation, and sustainability for students through securing high-impact transfer agreements like the 2+2 Pathway in Agriculture with the University of Guam.”

Students seeking to transfer from COM-FSM to UOG on the 2+2 pathway must have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.8 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in core STEM courses. Their associate degree will satisfy a minimum of 64 credit hours toward their bachelor’s degree at UOG. Upon completion of their associates, the students must apply to UOG by the admission deadline and must enroll full-time — a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.

“We are very excited to start welcoming more FSM students into our tropical ag track,” said Rachael T. Leon Guerrero, dean of UOG’s College of Natural & Applied Sciences. “As a Land Grant university, one of our core goals is to deliver academic instruction and degree programs that will build capacity and expertise in agriculture. This pathway ensures that we’re able to do that not just in Guam, but now more efficiently in the FSM as well.”

The agreement states it will be reviewed for renewal every five years. Maika Vuki, interim associate dean at UOG’s College of Natural & Applied Sciences, said a next step is to explore the same agreement with other colleges in the region.