DURHAM — N.C. Central University wants to increase its number of transfer students from local community colleges and is taking steps to make that easier.

On Monday, the university will sign an "articulation agreement" with Durham Technical Community College that will enable students who have received a two-year criminal justice or nursing degree to transfer as juniors to NCCU.

The two institutions already have agreements for students in transfer tracks that include Hospitality and Tourism, Computer Information Systems, Early Childhood and Elementary and Middle Grades Education, as well as Biopharmaceuticals. The state community colleges have a comprehensive articulation agreement with the UNC system that allows students who receive two-year arts or science degrees to transfer as juniors to any of the four-year colleges.

Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the UNC system Board of Governors, called last fall for strengthening relationships between the system's four-year campuses and community colleges.

NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms and DTCC President William Ingram will do that Monday when they also sign a "Partnership Memorandum of Understanding" under which both institutions pledge to continue to work toward enhancing and expanding educational opportunities for students.

"We absolutely want to increase the number of community college transfers," said Nelms. "In the last several weeks, I have had conversations also with Piedmont Community College, Vance-Granville Community College and Durham Tech. We will continue to have those conversations."

NCCU already is expecting a big increase in the number of community college transfer students for the fall semester. The goal is to enroll 550 transfer students, some 250 more than last year.

The new agreement with NCCU "opens up opportunities that otherwise would not be available for some of our students," said María Fraser-Molina, assistant vice president and department head of the Arts, Sciences and University Transfer program at Durham Tech. "The beauty of this is that the students all of a sudden can enter careers that have more opportunities for promotions, for growth."

Durham Tech currently enrolls more than 1,000 students in its University Transfer program -- which is covered by the general articulation agreement. Fraser-Molina estimated that around 50 to 60 students in the nursing program each year could qualify under the new agreement to move on to NCCU as juniors and around 10-15 criminal justice graduates would have the same opportunity.

Officials at both Durham Tech and NCCU think the current economic downtown could mean that more students will start out at lower tuition community colleges to save money, meaning that transfer programs will continue to grow.