College Transfer

The North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA)

The CAA addresses the admission of community college graduates to UNC institutions and the transfer of credits between institutions within the North Carolina Community College System and institutions within The University of North Carolina.

The Transfer Assured Admissions Policy (TAAP) assures admission to one of the 16 UNC institutions under the following conditions:

  • Admission is not assured to a specific campus or specific program or major.
  • Students must have graduated from a North Carolina community college with an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science 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.
  • For Teacher Prep programs, community college graduates must obtain a grade of "C" or better in each course and an overall GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale in order to transfer with a junior status.  Courses may also transfer through bilateral agreements between institutions.
  • Students must be academically eligible for re-admission to the last institution attended.
  • Students must meet judicial requirements of the institution to which they apply.
  • Students must meet all application requirements at the receiving institution including the submission of all required documentation by stated deadlines.
  • If a student is denied admission to a UNC institution, then he or she will be notified in writing by the institution. In this notification, the student will be directed to the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) website (www.cfnc.org) where the student will be given information regarding space availability and contacts in the respective UNC Admissions offices. It is the student’s responsibility to contact each institution’s admissions office to get specific information about admissions and available majors.

    The major components of the CAA are described below:

  • The CAA enables North Carolina Community College graduates of two-year Associate in Arts(AA) and Associate in Science(AS) degree programs who are admitted to constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina to transfer with junior status.
  • Universities cannot place requirements on students transferring under the CAA that are not required of their native students.
  • A student who completes the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree prior to transfer to a UNC institution will have fulfilled the UNC institution’s lower-division general education requirements.
  • Due to degree requirements in some majors, additional courses at the UNC institution may be required beyond the general education courses and pre-major courses taken at the community college.
  • Community college graduates of the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree programs who have earned 60 semester hours in approved transfer courses with a grade of “C” or better and an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will receive at least 60 semester hours of academic credit upon admission to a UNC institution.
  • Requirements for admission to some major programs may require additional pre-specialty courses beyond the pre-major taken at the community college. Students entering such programs may need more than two academic years of course work to complete the baccalaureate degree, depending on requirements of the program.
  • All courses approved for transfer in the CAA are designated as fulfilling general education or pre-major or elective requirements. While general education and pre-major courses may also be used as electives, elective courses may not be used to fulfill general education requirements.
  • CAA courses taken beyond the 60-61 SHC of credit in which the student received less than a “C” will not negate the provisions of the CAA.

Students not completing the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degrees:

A North Carolina community college student who satisfactorily completes, with a grade of “C” or better, courses identified In the Universal General Education Transfer Component will receive credit applied toward the university’s lower-division general education course requirements, subject to the following distribution limit: maximum of 6 hours in English Composition, 9 hours in Humanities/Fine Arts/Communication, 9 hours in Social/Behavioral Sciences, 8 hours in Mathematics, and 8 hours in the Natural Sciences.

A North Carolina community college student who satisfactorily completes a transfer course that is not designated as a Universal General Education Transfer Component course will receive transfer credit for the course. The receiving institution will determine whether the course will count as general education, pre-major, or elective credit.