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Sept. 12, 2025

NC College Connect Update

Education Leaders,

NC College Connect, North Carolina's groundbreaking direct college admissions program, has already generated over 7,000 student applications. We appreciate your dedication to making this life-changing opportunity accessible to our students.

To ensure every eligible student can participate, we need your immediate attention to transcript and scheduling accuracy for a final eligibility data pull on Sept. 26, 2025 for NC College Connect.  

Thank you for your partnership in ensuring every eligible student has access to this unprecedented opportunity.

Eligibility Criteria

Students are included in the eligible dataset when they meet ALL of the following:

• Enrolled in Grade 12 or 13
• Minimum 2.8 weighted GPA
• Enrolled in or completed a fourth-level math course (actual course codes required—no placeholders)
• Spring schedules preferred by colleges/universities (validation of UNC MCR may be required separately if spring scheduling is incomplete)

Critical Actions Required

By Friday, Sept. 26, COB:

1. Ensure all student transcripts and schedules are accurate and complete
2. Verify all graduation requirements are scheduled with appropriate course codes
3. Confirm fourth-level math courses use actual course codes (no placeholders or generic virtual course codes)
4. Include all in-progress courses on schedules to verify UNC MCR compliance

Note: Scheduling clarification will be provided by the SIS Professional Learning team on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. NCDPI will also be providing a validation report to list eligible students on Monday. Clarifications for college classes and credit recovery will be included.

Immediate Next Steps:

• Coordinate efforts among counselors, data managers, and appropriate staff
• Review NC College Connect guidance distributed via NCSIS listserv on Monday, Sept. 15
• Problem-solve any discrepancies with students who should be eligible

Student Communication Priorities:

• Share eligibility requirements with students and families
• Distribute eligible student lists to appropriate school personnel for targeted outreach
• Inform students to check their CFNC accounts on Oct. 1 at noon (no mailed notifications for this cycle)
• Promote College Application Week (Oct. 20-26) for NC College Connect form completion
• Note: District Testing and Accountability Directors will receive eligible student lists by Oct. 3, 2025

Upcoming Webinars: Educator Overview Webinars Oct. 7, 1 p.m. School District Office Hours, Questions/Discussions Sept. 19, 9 a.m. Sept. 24, 1 p.m. Student & Parent Webinars Sept. 16, 6 p.m. Student & Parent Office Hours Sept. 30, 6 p.m.

Resources & Support:

Please continue to share with your students and families about this opportunity.

Visit the NC College Connect Toolkit. Use the social media posts, email language, fliers, etc.

Make it real for students:

• Share the recording from State Superintendent Green
• Have your principal or Superintendent do a robocall!

For questions or support, please reach out to nccollegeconnect@dpi.nc.gov.