Without submitting a single application, more than 67,500 high school seniors across North Carolina already have a seat at select four-year colleges and universities next fall through NC College Connect, a direct admission program that provides a streamlined path to higher education.
Today, students can check their admission offers by visiting NCCollegeConnect.org and logging into the student portal there. They will also receive an official letter by U.S. mail in the coming days.
The personalized letters will notify 64% of high school seniors of the four-year institutions where they are admitted for the 2027-28 academic year. The program offers college admission to eligible public high school students who begin their senior year with a weighted grade point average of at least 2.8 and are enrolled in a fourth-level math.
Additionally, all students on track for a high school diploma, regardless of their GPA, will be directly admitted to their local community college. In total, more than 105,000 seniors will receive a direct admission offer.
Participating institutions include 11 University of North Carolina System universities, all 58 North Carolina community colleges, and 29 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.
“We’ve been proud to champion this simplified, more direct way of doing college admissions,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “Students who have done the work and shown that they’re ready for college should get a clear invitation, not a complicated series of hurdles. Complexity limits access, and access is our mission.”
The program was conceived by the UNC System and launched two years ago. It features a strong statewide partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, GEAR Up North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, and the Office of the Governor.
“The success of NC College Connect is a testament to what’s possible when institution leaders across North Carolina come together around one shared goal: making the college admissions process simple for students,” said Mary Shuping, executive director of NCSEAA. “By removing unnecessary roadblocks, students can discover options they didn’t know existed for them.”
That was the case for Paige Gonzalez, a University of North Carolina Asheville sophomore from High Point. She wasn’t even sure higher education would be possible.
“I wasn’t aware of all the colleges I could go to or all of the colleges that were in my state,” Gonzalez said. “I got a letter in the mail one day from NC Connect, and it had a list of in-state schools I had never thought to explore before. I researched all the schools on this list and found I really liked what UNCA offered.”
North Carolina Central University student Symphanee Fife, a criminal justice major from Jacksonville, recommends the program to other students. “My experience with NC College Connect was like a breath of fresh air, to be honest,” Fife said. “It was a lot easier than what I was trying to do beforehand, and it just kind of cut through all the extra processes. When I found out NCCU was an option for me through College Connect, I was excited.”
Students can review their admission offers and submit a short form indicating their interest, without essays, recommendation letters or other requirements of a traditional application. If students confirm their admission to an institution during College Application Week, Oct. 19-25, they can avoid most application fees.
North Carolina has financial aid available for many students who want to pursue higher education. This includes the Next NC Scholarship, which helps most North Carolinians from households making $80,000 or less by fully covering tuition and fees at any community college, or more than half, if not all, of tuition and fees to attend any UNC System institution in the state. In addition, North Carolina residents who enroll at Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, University of North Carolina Pembroke, and Western Carolina University pay only $500 per semester in tuition as part of the NC Promise plan.
North Carolina students attending the state’s independent, nonprofit colleges and universities may be eligible to receive the NC Need-Based Scholarship, which provides financial aid for the state’s Pell-eligible and middle-income undergraduates.
Students are encouraged to apply for financial aid programs by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, as the first step toward higher education.
For a list of participating colleges and universities, please see this NC College Connect factsheet.