It’s now simpler to apply to these NC colleges. And this week, you can do it for free
A new pilot program launched this month that makes it easier for high school students across North Carolina to apply to college. And this week, applicants can apply to many of the participating schools for free.
Each year, the College Foundation of North Carolina sponsors College Application Week — a weeklong event that allows high school seniors to apply to dozens of colleges and universities across the state for free through the CFNC website. This year’s College Application Week runs from Oct. 21-27, with public and private four-year colleges and all 58 of the state’s community colleges participating.
While the event is helpful to applicants in any year, that’s even more true this year.
That’s because, through two new programs, students can apply to many of the colleges participating in College Application Week by filling out a short form, instead of the long applications normally associated with the process. The new admissions programs are available throughout the fall application cycle — but combined, College Application Week and the new pilot programs mean that students can easily apply to college and, for this week only, do so for free.
The new NC College Connect program allows eligible students to apply to six four-year universities in the UNC System and all 58 community colleges across the state using a simplified application process. Students who are eligible for the simplified process at public schools should receive a letter in the mail with instructions to apply to colleges through the program.
More than two dozen private schools are offering a similar program, through the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities’ direct admission program. Students will not receive a letter in the mail about this program because the state Department of Public Instruction is only partnering with NC College Connect, but the private schools’ program remains available to eligible and qualified students.
Which colleges are participating in these new programs? Which ones are waiving application fees this week? And how can students take advantage of these resources?
Here’s everything you need to know.
NC College Connect creates simplified application process
NC College Connect, which is new this fall, allows eligible students to apply to several of the state’s public universities and all of the community colleges by filling out a significantly shortened application.
To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a public high school or charter school in North Carolina, must maintain a weighted GPA of 2.8 throughout their senior year, and must meet the state Department of Public Instruction’s basic graduation requirements and the UNC System’s minimum admission requirements.
Students who meet these criteria should receive a letter this month informing them that they are eligible for the NC College Connect program. The letter will include a QR code that students can scan, which will take them to the NC College Connect website.
Once on that page (cfnc.org/nc-college-connect), students can click the “Claim Your Spot!” button on the right side to access the application. Students will need to log in to their existing CFNC.org account, or create one, to access the application.
Shun Robertson, interim senior vice president of strategy and policy with the UNC System, said the process is “very simple” and involves filling out just three pieces of information: the applying student’s email address, their desired major and when they intend to enroll in college. There are no essays requested or required.
“They just answer those three questions, and then they’ve applied,” Robertson said.
After students fill out their application, admissions professionals from the participating UNC System schools or community colleges will reach out to the student for more information, Robertson said. Students will also need to provide information about their residency status in North Carolina at a later point in the process, Robertson said.
The program does not ensure that students will be admitted to the schools they apply to, “but it is an easier way for them to get their application in the hands of the admissions counselors,” Robertson said.
The public colleges and universities participating in NC College Connect are:
- Elizabeth City State University
- Fayetteville State University
- UNC Asheville
- UNC Greensboro
- UNC Pembroke
- Winston-Salem State University
- All 58 North Carolina community colleges
NCICU offers direct admission program for private schools
Several private colleges across the state that are part of the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities group are offering a similar program to NC College Connect this fall, but students will not receive a letter informing them of the effort.
To be eligible for the NCICU direct admission program, students must have a weighted GPA of 2.8 during their senior year.
The program also offers a significantly shortened application, with just a handful of questions that NCICU says will take five minutes for students to complete. Students will receive additional information from admissions officials at the colleges after they submit their application.
There is no application fee if students apply to the participating universities through the direct admission portal, available at ncicu.org/direct-admission.
The private colleges participating in NCICU’s direct admission program are:
- Barton College
- Belmont Abbey College
- Bennett College
- Catawba College
- Chowan University
- Gardner-Webb University
- Greensboro College
- Guilford College
- Johnson C. Smith University
- Lees-McRae College
- Lenoir-Rhyne University
- Livingstone College
- Louisburg College
- Mars Hill University
- Meredith College
- Methodist University
- Montreat College
- North Carolina Wesleyan University
- Pfeiffer University
- Shaw University
- St. Andrews University
- St. Augustine’s University
- University of Mount Olive
- Warren Wilson College
- William Peace University
- Wingate University
Schools participating in College Application Week
Dozens of public, private and two-year colleges are participating in College Application Week this year, allowing students to apply for admission at no cost.
To have their application fees waived during College Application week, students must apply through the CFNC portal, which is accessible through cfnc.org/apply-to-college.
The colleges participating in College Application Week are:
Barton College
Belmont Abbey College
Bennett College
Brevard College
Campbell University
Carolinas College of Health Science
Catawba College
Chowan University
Davidson College
East Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
Elon University
Fayetteville State University
Gardner-Webb University
Greensboro College
Guilford College
High Point University
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
Johnson C. Smith University
Lees-McRae College
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Livingstone College
Louisburg College
Mars Hill University
Meredith College
Methodist University
Montreat College
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Wesleyan University
Pfeiffer University
Queens University of Charlotte
St. Augustine’s University
Salem College
Shaw University
St. Andrews University
UNC Asheville
UNC Pembroke
UNC School of the Arts
University of Mount Olive
Warren Wilson College
Western Carolina University
William Peace University
Wingate University
Winston-Salem State University
All 58 community colleges
If a school appears on this list and is participating in the NC College Connect or NCICU direct admission program, that means students can use the simplified application process and apply for free this week.
Additional schools waiving fees for Helene-impacted counties
In the wake of Hurricane Helene and the devastation it left across Western North Carolina, six additional universities in the UNC System will waive application fees during College Application Week only for students enrolled at high schools in counties included in FEMA’s disaster declaration.
Students in those counties can apply to the following schools for free this week:
Appalachian State University
NC State University
UNC-Chapel Hill
UNC Charlotte
UNC Greensboro
UNC Wilmington
There may be additional resources available to these students in the coming months and in the spring, Robertson said.
“We understand that, for the students out in the west, they might have other priorities for this College Application Week,” Robertson said.
More information
More information about the new NC College Connect program can be found at NCCollegeConnect.org.
More information about College Application Week can be found at cfnc.org/apply-to-college/nc-countdown-to-college.
More information about NCICU’s direct admission program can be found at ncicu.org/direct-admission.
