In a recent initiative to expand access to higher education, NC State has established a guaranteed admissions program. The university announced on Sept. 15, the initiative that allies all 58 of North Carolina’s community colleges, creating a guaranteed pathway for students to transition from a two-year degree to a four-year bachelor’s program.
This agreement will guarantee admission to NC State for any community college student, given they have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.0 and are in good overall academic standing. This program increases accessibility to higher education and fosters an integrated relationship between the North Carolina higher education system.
The primary goal of this program is to unlock opportunities for a diverse student body, representing individuals from all kinds of backgrounds and all different walks of life.
Formalizing and simplifying this pathway, NC State Chancellor Kevin Howell aims to send a message of encouragement and support. Howell says the Wolfpack Connect program has “potential to transform lives and uplift communities.”
With this program in place, countless students will now have a defined route to further their education and obtain a four-year bachelor’s degree from one of 100 eligible majors that the university has to offer.
The university identifies simplified planning as a crucial aspect of the new policy, as it allows students to easily navigate their transfer with planting tools and resources throughout the course selection process. For those looking to finish their degree at a four-year university, the transition between community college and a four-year university is often daunting.
Though statistics show 80% of community college students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree, only 16% of community college students (first time in college) transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree within six years of entering a community college. Wolfpack Connect aims to effectively eliminate those doubts.
The program is facilitated by the long-standing University of North Carolina Common Numbering System. This system ensures a common understanding between institutions of how courses satisfy specific requirements, guaranteeing that credits earned at a community college will directly align with the curriculum at any of the UNC System schools, preventing students from losing academic progress or being forced to retake a course, wasting or losing valuable time.
This initiative is an extension of NC State University’s commitment to sustaining high admissions standards while ensuring students aren’t discouraged from pursuing a degree due to financial hardships, lack of academic preparedness or family obligations. It affirms that a student’s education journey doesn’t have to be defined by where they begin, but rather by their commitment and dedication to learn wherever they are.
While the community college transfer program is a new development, it is not the first guaranteed admissions pathway that NC State has offered. The University has had a partnership with the North Carolina School of Science and Math (NCSSM), offering guaranteed admission and subsidized tuition through the UNC System Guaranteed Admission program. The success of NCSSM enrichment is evident as 98% of graduates from the insitutiion earn a bachelor’s degree and 69% of NCSSM graduates earned a bachelor’s degree from a UNC System school, with a majority attending NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Kelcey Robinson Jr., a second year in construction engineering, can attest to the benefits of such programs. “Going to NCSSM made it a lot easier to transition to [NC] State,” Robinson said, emphasizing how the guaranteed admission pathway provided a simplified continuation of his academic journey.
Taekwon Wright, a second year in civil engineering, highlighted the transition, noting, “At community college, I was used to seeing the same fifty people every day. Coming to NC State University, you have these big lecture halls with 400 different people you’ll see every day.” His experience highlights how the vastly different experience at community college differs from four-year universities.
The new guaranteed admission program offered by NC State aims to replicate this success for a different, yet equally important, demographic: community college transfer students.
