Comprehensive Articulation Agreement

Between the University of North Carolina and North Carolina Community College System

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What is the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement?

The North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) is a statewide agreement governing the transfer of credits between N. C. community colleges and N. C. public universities and has a its objective the smooth transfer of students. The board of Governors of the University of North Carolina and the N. C. State Board of Community Colleges has approved this agreement. The CAA provides certain assurance to the transferring student; for example the CAA identifies community college courses that are appropriate for transfer as electives. Course that will satisfy pre-major and general education requirements are also specified. To see entire Comprehensive Articulation Agreement.

The CAA defines a 44-semester credit hour general education core, which, if completed at the community college, is fully transferable to the UNC institutions, and will satisfy general education requirements. This means that a transfer student who completes the general education core at a North Carolina community college will not be required to take other general education courses at a UNC institution, even if his/her 44-semester credit hour core does not completely match the university's. Students should be aware that some universities have graduation requirements that transfer students must satisfy, such as physical education or a foreign language.

North Carolina community college students who earn an associate's degree according to the guidelines of the CAA will be treated as juniors at the receiving UNC institution.

Students graduating from North Carolina community colleges under the guidelines of the CAA will have 64-semester hours of credit transferred to the UNC institution to which they are admitted. Because UNC institutions differ in their admission requirements, students intending to transfer should contact the UNC institution(s) of their choice to learn about specific admissions requirements.

What is a college transfer program?

A college transfer program is a set of courses that has been designed to transfer to most four-year colleges and universities in North Carolina. The set of courses includes a 44-semester hour general education core and 20 additional semester hours of transfer credit. In the North Carolina Community College System, the Associate in Arts (A. A.) and the Associate in Science (A. S.) degree programs are included in the CAA as college transfer programs.

What is the General Education Core?

The general education core is a set of 44-semester hours (S. H.) of courses which when completed will meet the freshman/sophomore general education requirements at all UNC institutions.

The core specifically includes the following for the A. A. degree:

The core specifically includes the following for the A. S. degree:

Is it necessary to finish the General Education Core before transferring to a university?

Completing the general education core before transferring is not necessary but advisable. Students who do not complete the general education core as stated in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement will have to complete the specific general education requirements of the college or university to which they transfer.

Is admission to a UNC institution guaranteed?

Yes, the CAA includes a Transfer Assured Admissions Policy (TAAP), which assures admission to at least one of the 16 UNC institutions with the following stipulations:

• Admission is not assured to a specific campus or specific program or major.
• Students must have graduated from a NC community college with an A. A. or A. S. degree.
• Students must meet all requirements of the CAA.
• Students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, as calculated by the college from which they graduated, and a grade of "C" or better in all CAA courses.
• Students must be academically eligible for re-admission to the last institution attended.
• Students must meet judicial requirements of the institution to which they applied.
• Students must meet all application requirements at the receiving institution including the submission of all required documentation by stated deadlines.

How do the UNC Minimum Course Requirements (MCR) apply to transfer 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 A. A., the A. S., the A..F.A., the baccalaureate or any higher degree, or
• completed the 44-hour CAA General Education Core, or
• completed at least six semester hours in degree-credit in each of the following subjects: English, mathematics, the natural sciences, social/behavioral sciences, and (for students who graduate from high school in 2003-04 and beyond) a second language.

Does the CAA apply to private colleges and universities?

The following NC private colleges and universities endorse the CAA: Barton, Belmont Abbey, Bennett, Brevard, Campbell, Catawba, Chowan, Gardner-Webb, Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone, Louisburg, Mars Hill, Montreat, Mount Olive, NC Wesleyan, Peace, Pfeiffer, Queens, St. Andrews Presbyterian, Saint Augustine's, Shaw, Warren Wilson, and Wingate. The admissions office of the private institution of interest can be contacted for more information.

What courses will transfer to UNC institutions?

The North Carolina Community College Combined Course Library lists courses that have been approved for transfer to the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina. Transferring students must have earned a grade of "C" or better in a course in order to get transfer credit for the course.

See Comprehensive Articulation Agreement Appendix H for Transfer Course List

Will "D" or "F" grades transfer?

No, under the CAA, only courses in which a grade of "C" or higher is earned will transfer.

How many semester hours will transfer?

If a student transfers to a University of North Carolina institution under the statewide CAA, a maximum of 64 semester hours will transfer. The student should consult an academic advisor since special program articulations may exist between community college and four-year colleges or universities in North Carolina or elsewhere that may permit the transfer of additional credit hours.

See Transfer Course List

Information Credited To:
www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
www.northcarolina.edu/content.php/assessment/reports/student_info/caa.htm