NC College Connect Pilot
The North Carolina Community College System will participate in NC College Connect program effective October 1, 2024. This is a pilot program that aims to increase access to higher education for the North Carolina high school Class of 2025 by providing qualified students the opportunity for admission at North Carolina community colleges and select UNC System institutions. Students with a weighted GPA of 2.8 and above will be automatically matched to the schools participating in the NC College Connect pilot program, bypassing the traditional admission processes. Notification letters will be mailed to eligible students’ homes during the first week of October 2024.
In preparation, colleges should follow the procedures outlined in this memo to ensure compliance with 1D SBCCC 400.2 Admission to Colleges.
- Understanding which students will participate in NC College Connect program pilot.
- Students who will be eligible: All NC public and charter high school seniors attending NC public high schools who have a weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher.
- Students will receive the letter regardless of citizenship status.
- Non-eligible students: This is a pilot. The program will not include home schooled and high school equivalent students.
- The NC College Connect Application
- Students chosen to participate in NC College Connect will have a complete a short, five question, application for each of the institutions participating in the pilot (6 UNC universities and their local community college).
- Colleges and universities participating in the pilot include:
- Elizabeth City State University
- Fayetteville State University
- University of North Carolina at Asheville
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- Winston-Salem State University
- North Carolina Community College System (all 58 colleges)
- Students will be notified of their offer to apply to participating colleges through a mailed offer letter that includes a QR code directing them to more information on CFNC.org. There, they will be prompted to log in to their CFNC.org account and claim their spot at their select colleges.
- To officially apply to NC College Connect institutions of their choice, students will complete a shortened application on CFNC.org, either through a new or an existing account. All applications will be subject to usual institutional application fees (if any apply), unless students apply to colleges participating in College Application Week 2024.
- The application questions include:
- Student’s Name-First, Middle, Last
- Student’s Street Address, City, State, and Zip code
- Student’s Personal Email
- Student’s Intended Major/Program
- Student’s Intended Start Term (Fall 2025 or Spring 2026)
- The Residency Determination Service (RDS) process will not be mandatory for submission of the NC College Connect short application.
- The NC College Connect application does not impact colleges’ standard admissions application. For those students who complete your traditional application, you will continue “business as usual.”
- Importing of Application in Colleague & Admissions Processes
- Will applications be imported into Colleague? The short application will not request a social security number. Therefore, these applications cannot be imported into Colleague.
- NC College Connect applications will not be imported into Colleague. You will download a .CSV/PDF file from CFNC.
- CFNC will provide detailed instructions before the NC College Connect application goes live.
- Information included in the .CSV/PDF file includes:
- Student’s Name-First, Middle, Last
- Student’s Date of Birth
- Student’s Home Address
- Student’s Personal Email
- Student’s Intended Major/Program
- Student’s Intended Start Term (Fall 2025 or Spring 2026)
- Student’s NC UID
- High School Name
- High School CEEB Code
- High School ID
- Colleges will then follow their local process to engage with prospective students. It is recommended that local electronic forms be used to manage enrollment processes for NC College Connect participants.
- Template Student Communication Messaging: Colleges should utilize a communication similar to the template message below to direct students to complete a local process to collect additional information needed to enroll the student.
(Example message: Welcome to the [Insert Name] Community College Family! You are now on your journey to prepare for success in the workforce and to build a network of mentors and connections to kickstart your professional career. The college experience can change your life forever.
The simplified NC College Connect application has guaranteed your acceptance to our college. To ensure your transition to our institution is seamless, we need you to provide additional information. Please visit the following link and complete the form as soon as possible. A college representative may contact you to support your enrollment. In addition, CFNC.org offers resources to help you plan, apply, and pay for college, including more information on financial aid.
Again, congratulations and welcome to [Insert Name] Community College.)
- Impact of 2.8 Weighted GPA on Developmental Education
- Colleges will continue to operate their currently established placement policies. NC College Connect is an admissions initiative, not a placement policy. The System Office will continue to review our placement policy.
- Program Promotion:
Please collaborate with your public information officers to promote the program locally to help inform your community about the new program. A social media toolkit is available here: College Foundation of North Carolina (cfnc.org)
NC College Connect serves to expand access to higher education opportunities in North Carolina, especially among those students who may not have envisioned college in their future. This is a great opportunity for the 58 community colleges to promote our accessibility to our students.
Program Contacts:
Dr. Torry Reynolds, AVP of Student Services
reynoldst@nccommunitycolleges.edu
Dr. Monty Hickman, Executive Director, Enrollment Management
hickmanm@nccommunitycolleges.edu
CC: Presidents, Admissions Administrators, Public Information Officers
