Eligibility information applies to 12th and 13th-grade students for the 2026-27 school year.
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 If GPA is not correct, a student's offer may be rescinded.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.
Important: Students who have not passed a fourth-level math course or are not scheduled in a fourth-level math course will not be considered eligible for the 4-year NC College Connect option. All additional graduation requirements must be met and GPA must be maintained, or offers may be rescinded. It is preferred that all graduation requirements are scheduled so that it is clear the student has met UNC Minimum Course Requirements.
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).
These validation reports will be available in production in July.
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.
- 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.
