The NC Community College System
North Carolina's 58 community colleges constitute the nation's third largest community college network and offer associate degree programs in a wide variety of areas.
Click here for a map of the state's community colleges, along with links to their websites.
Click here for a degree program catalog.
A community college is located near each major military base.
Camp Lejeune/New River: Coastal Carolina Community College
Cherry Point: Craven Community College
Fort Bragg/Pope Air Force Base: Fayetteville Technical Community College
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base: Wayne Community College
UNC collaborates closely with NC community colleges, and thousands of community college associate degree graduates enroll in UNC baccalaureate completion programs each year. The two systems have a Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) that covers transfer of graduates of associate in arts and associate in science degree programs in the community college system. In addition, there are a number of agreements that cover various pre-major prerequisite courses and associate of applied science or arts degrees. (Be sure to review these arrangements carefully with your academic advisor.) Because of this partnership, UNC institutions do not offer courses required for the first two years of an undergraduate degree off-campus or online but rely on the community colleges to provide those courses. For AA and AS degree program graduates, the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement provides the following:
- The CAA enables North Carolina community college graduates of two-year associate in arts and associate in science degree programs who are admitted to constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina to transfer with junior status.
- Universities are not allowed to place requirements on students transferring under the CAA that are not required of their native students.
- Transfer students will be considered to have satisfied the UNC Minimum Course Requirements (MCR) in effect at the time of their graduation from high school if they have
- received the associate in arts, the associate in science, the associate in fine arts, the baccalaureate or any higher degree, or,
- completed the 44-hour CAA general education transfer core, or
- completed at least six (6) semester hours in degree-credit in each of the following subjects: English, mathematics, the natural sciences, and social and behavioral sciences, and (for students who graduated from high school in 2003-04 or later) a second language.
- Community college students who have completed the general education transfer core (outlined below) will be considered to have fulfilled the institution-wide, lower division general education requirements of the receiving institution.
- To be eligible for inclusion in this policy, a student must have an overall GPA of at least a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and a grade of "C" or better in all CAA courses.
- Community college graduates of these programs who have earned 64 semester hours in approved transfer courses with a grade of "C" or better and an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will receive at least 64 semester hours of academic credit upon admission to a university. Under special circumstances, a university may choose to accept additional credit hours.
- Requirements for admission to some major programs may require additional pre-specialty courses beyond the general education transfer core courses taken at the community college. Students entering such programs may need more than two academic years of course work to complete the baccalaureate degree, depending on requirements of the program.
- All courses approved for transfer in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement are designated as fulfilling general education, pre-major or elective (See Appendix E) requirements. Although general education and pre-major courses also may be used as electives, elective courses may not be used to fulfill general education requirements.
To view a transfer guide for community college students, click here.
As you consider enrolling in a community college degree program with the intent of transferring that credit to a UNC institution, be sure to work closely with your community college academic advisor. To view the names of and contact information for transfer advisors at UNC campuses, click here.
