The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh implemented the second stage of a program last week designed to help students whose higher education was interrupted by more than a semester to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

The second phase of the project, which began March 29, allows students who “stopped out” of school at UW-Oshkosh to be eligible to obtain a degree if they left school with anywhere from 45 to 89 credits already completed, had not transferred to another institution and left in good academic standing.

The first phase of the project was enacted in 2004 and allows students who had previously “stopped out” of school with at least 90 credits earned, were in good academic standing and did not transfer to any other institutions or programs since, the ability to return to the school to complete a bachelor’s degree.

UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard Wells said these “stop outs” can be students who have halted their education prematurely due to financial limitations, family complications or other similar disruptions.

The Graduation Program, launched in 2004, aims to not only help increase the number of bachelor’s degree holders in the region, but also to give students a chance to earn an Associate of Arts degree as opposed to going back to school just to obtain a baccalaureate degree.

“These are people who really deserve to get a degree,” Wells said.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh was one of the first universities in the nation to implement such a program, Wells said, and is the first school in the UW System to offer such options for “stop out” students.

“What is unique about our program is that past students can still qualify to complete an associate degree,” Wells said.

These students would not need to have completed at least 90 credits in order to be eligible for the program.

Wells said approximately 400 students are now involved in the first phase of the program to finish their bachelor’s degree. One hundred and fifty-eight students at UW-Oshkosh have already graduated through the program, with another 55 students on track to graduate soon.

The university also anticipates a few hundred past students will make use of the second phase of the program to earn an associate degree. The University has recently contacted roughly 700 prior students to notify them of the opportunities the second phase of the project can offer them.

“The Registrar’s Office is working proactively to ensure that students who stop out understand they may have the option of receiving an associate degree,” a statement from UW-Oshkosh said.

Wells said it is important for universities to be proactive in the education of all of their students and to show they care by reaching out to help those that could not complete their higher education for any reason.

The university estimates at least 13,000 students across the UW System could make use of a graduation program like that of UW-Oshkosh, which is why Wells said he thinks support for graduation projects is needed across the state as well as the entire nation.