Data Validations

For Fall 2026, eligibility data will be pulled at the state level on September 9, 2026 COB. There will be only ONE data pull. To ensure every eligible student can participate in the NC College Connect direct admissions program, DPI is providing this guidance to support transcript and scheduling accuracy in advance of the final eligibility data pull September of each year.

Eligibility Requirements

4-Year College/University Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility applies to all current 12th- and 13th-grade students in membership with a weighted GPA of 2.80 or higher, who also meet course requirements. For these students, PSUs must verify that:

• Transcripts and schedules are accurate and complete,
• Student course schedules reflect being on-track to graduate,
• The student has passed a fourth-level Math course (see Math Options Chart based on 9th Grade Entry Year - UNC section) or is scheduled for this academic year, and
• All remaining state graduation requirements are scheduled. If all classes are not scheduled, colleges and universities may request verification.  

2-Year Community College Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility applies to all current 12th- and 13th-grade students in membership with a 2.79 GPA or below, who are also on track to graduate. In North Carolina, every student has a direct pathway to high-quality post-secondary education. For these students, PSUs must verify that:

• Transcripts and schedules are accurate and complete,
• Student course schedules reflect being on-track to graduate,
• All remaining state graduation requirements are scheduled. If all classes are not scheduled, community colleges may request verification.

NOTE: Students on the Extended Content Standard pathway are ineligible for the NC College Connect program. Students who are not in membership are ineligible for the NC College Connect program (for example, foreign exchange students).

More information on the program can be found on the NC College Connect | NC DPI.

All courses must use valid State Course Codes from the Master Course Code List found on the NCSIS (powered by Infinite Campus) | NC DPI.  Each course must also include, at a minimum, a Final Grade grading task with the correct credit and credit type as seen in the Master Course Code List. Course grading setup is crucial for ensuring GPA information is accurate. If GPA is not correct, a student's offer may be rescinded.

These requirements apply to all course types, including credit recovery, community college or university college courses, NCVPS, NCSSM, cross-enrolled courses, and other online or third-party offerings. Correct coding and scheduling practices are essential across every format. 

PSUs using placeholders for the above courses will need to ensure the actual courses are scheduled with them so the proper course code and name display on the transcript. Options for this will be listed in the guidance. 

Collaboration among counselors, data managers, and school staff is critical to meeting these requirements. A validation report will also be available prior to the collection window to assist PSUs in identifying eligible students and ensuring compliance.

Validation Process

Go through the validation process below before September 9 to ensure all students' data are correct and ready for the NC College Connect data pull. Repeat running the validation process to verify that student data is showing up correctly.

NOTE: There will be no second pull. If a student's data is not updated and incorrect, there will be no changes to the direct admission offers.

Calculate and Review On Track Status 

Navigation: Menu > Student Information > Program Administration

• Calculate On-Track Status - Course Plan Administration | Infinite Campus
• Review On-Track Status - Academic Plan Status Report | Infinite Campus
• Identify students missing correct course codes and update as needed (see below for guidance on how to fix missing courses due to placeholders).

Review (NC) NC College Connect Validation

Navigation: Menu > Reporting > Data Validation Report > (NC) NC College Connect Validation

This validation group consists of two reports:

• (NC) NC College Connect 4-Year
  • Displays all students that currently qualify for the 4-year NC College Connect program based on >=2.80 GPA and Fourth Level Math course completed or scheduled.
  • These students will receive direct admissions to 4-year colleges/universities and their local community college. Higher the GPA, the mor schools will be on their list.
• (NC) NC College Connect 2-Year
  • Displays all students that currently qualify for the 2-year NC College Connect program based on <=2.79 GPA and on-track status.
  • These students will receive direct admissions to their local community college and a reminder to still apply the traditional route to other colleges they are interested in attending.

NOTE: Students on the Extended Content Standard pathway are ineligible for the NC College Connect program. Students who are not in membership are ineligible for the NC College Connect program (for example, foreign exchange students).

For students who should appear on the NC College Connect Validation but do NOT:

• Check transcripts
  • Ensure in-progress courses appear correctly.
    • Transcript Batch Report | Infinite Campus
  • Check any courses that are not showing as completed or in progress on the transcript and fix the grading setup or section schedule placement for the course.
    • NCSIS (powered by Infinite Campus) | NC DPI (check for course number and credit type)
    • Grading Tasks | Infinite Campus (check term masks and credit types)
    • Section Placement | Infinite Campus (check section placement alignment with grading task term masks)

Course Scheduling Guidance

In some cases, a requirement may appear missing if a student is scheduled into a Placeholder course. Because Placeholders are non–credit-bearing and non-reporting (course codes beginning with 99), they do not meet eligibility requirements on their own. To ensure accurate reporting and compliance, PSUs may use the scheduling options below:

NCVPS/Community College/University/Online/NCSSM Courses

Example period schedule with instructional and non-instructional periods.

Option 1: Schedule the course during the instructional day.

Option 2: Schedule the “Placeholder” during the instructional day and place the NCVPS/Community College/NCSSM/Online course outside of the day (period 5, 6, 7, etc.) as non-instructional time.

Option 3: Schedule the actual course and a “Placeholder” in the same period (you might need to do this if you have a staff member that is responsible for a group of students during that period that are in different courses).

Credit Recovery Courses

Option 1: Schedule the Credit Recovery course within the instructional day.

Option 2: Schedule a “Placeholder” during the instructional day and schedule the Credit Recovery course outside of the day (period 5, 6, 7, etc.) as non-instructional time.

Option 3:  Schedule the actual course and a “Placeholder” in the same period (you might need to do this if you have a staff member that is responsible for a group of students during that period that are in different courses).

Cross Enrolled Courses

Option 1: If a student is physically attending the class at the cross-enrolled school, map the section to the periods that correspond with the times of the class.

Option 2: Keep a “Placeholder” course during the instructional day and cross enroll the class outside of the day (period 5, 6, 7, Virtual etc.) as non-instructional time.

Option 3: Map virtual courses to a non-typical period that represents instructional time inside or outside the school day to account for the instructional minutes that a student needs to receive for membership.

Teacher/Staff Member Course Assignment 

• Assignments may vary by PSU - follow local guidance.

• A teacher or other designated staff member must be assigned to each course section to take attendance and enter grades.

• Depending on local policy, roles such as a Lab Facilitator, Data Manager, or Counselor may be assigned to manage these course sections.

The (NC) Section & Course Attribute Verification validation report is available to help PSUs identify and correct missing instructional data at the course and section levels. These State Defined Fields (attributes) are essential for accurate state reporting, especially for programs like Career and College Promise (CCP), NCVPS, and other specialized instructional methods.  

This report can be used to verify that the Term Type Override has been set on all sections. Refer to the Term Type Setup article for more information.

The validation report also lists the Primary Teacher for each section; if a section shows no value, a primary teacher must be assigned in Section Staff History. (Menu > Scheduling & Courses > Courses > Section Staff History)

Accessing the Report

Navigation: Menu > Reporting > Data Validation > Data Validation Report > (NC) Section & Course Attribute Verification

All course and section values should be reviewed to ensure instructional state defined fields are properly configured. Sections inherit values set at the course level; however, any sections requiring values different from the course should be updated to reflect the correct section information.

Report Description

This validation group includes two reports:

• (NC) Section & Course Attributes – Detail

• (NC) Section & Course Attributes – Null

Explanation of non-standard values returned in the report:

• Same as Course - State Defined fields have been inherited from the Course value
• Not Set on Course - Reflects a Null value

(NC) Section & Course Attributes – Detail

Displays the following section/course state defined fields for all active sections and courses (whether they are completed or blank):

• Columns 1-10 - School, Calendar, Course Master Number, Course Name & Number, Section Number and Teacher Information

• Section - Term Type Override

• Section - Post Secondary Institution

• Section - Instructional Provider

• Section - Delivery Mode

• Section - How Taken

• Course - Term Type Override

• Course - Post Secondary Institution

• Course - Instructional Provider

• Course - Delivery Mode

• Course - How Taken

• Coursemaster - Term Type Override

• Coursemaster - Post Secondary Institution

• Coursemaster - Instructional Provider

• Coursemaster - Delivery Mode

• Coursemaster - How Taken

(NC) Section & Course Attributes – Null

Displays the same information as the detail report but only returns courses/sections that have at least one Null value.

All sections should be reviewed to ensure instructional State Defined Fields are properly completed.

• Courses/Sections that do not require Post Secondary Institution will show on this report and can be ignored.

Correct Missing State Defined Fields

State Defined Fields can be configured on the Course Master and pushed to Courses and Sections when the fields are locked on the Course Catalog. Sections requiring values different from the Course must be updated individually. To make edits at the section level, the fields must be unlocked on the Course Catalog.

Updating at the Course Level

Navigation: Menu > Scheduling & Courses > Courses > Course Information

1. Search for and select the appropriate Course Number.

2. Scroll to the State Defined section.

3. Review and update the following fields as needed:

   • Term Type Override - Required for Accountability (update if different from the value set on a Course Master)

   • Post Secondary Institution – Required for CCP/Dual Enrollment if applicable

   • Instructional Provider – Required if the course is taught by an outside provider (e.g., NCVPS)

   • How Taken – Reflects how the student engages (must not be left blank)

   • Delivery Mode – Reflects how the course is delivered

4. Click Save to update the course information.

Updating at the Section Level

Navigation: Menu > Scheduling & Courses > Courses > Section Information

1. Search for the appropriate Course Number.

2. Select the appropriate Section Number.

3. Scroll to the State Defined section.

4. Review and update any sections where the fields are different than those set on the course.

   • Term Type Override - Required for Accountability (update sections that differ from the course value)

   • Post Secondary Institution – Required for CCP/Dual Enrollment if applicable

   • Instructional Provider – Required if the course is taught by an outside provider (e.g., NCVPS)

   • How Taken – Reflects how the student engages (must not be left blank)

   • Delivery Mode – Reflects how the course is delivered

5. Click Save to update the section information if changes were made.

Repeat until all required State Defined fields are completed for all courses and sections listed on the report.