As a result of a legislative mandate from the NC General Assembly, fall of 1997, the 58 North Carolina community colleges and the 16 institutions in the University of North Carolina (UNC) System entered into an agreement called the statewide Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, better known as the CAA. This agreement has been updated, and the revisions were implemented in the fall of 2014. This agreement includes two degrees—the Associate in Arts and the Associate in Science—and enables North Carolina community college graduates to receive junior status if the graduates meet certain criteria. Students are encouraged to complete their degree before they transfer. Admission to a UNC institution is a competitive process.
The Associate in Arts degree requires 60-61 credit hours. It allows students to take the first two years of their baccalaureate degree at CFCC and enables them to transfer to one of the 16 institutions in the UNC System with junior status. To graduate from CFCC under this agreement, students must meet all prerequisite and corequisite requirements, successfully complete all the required CAA courses with a grade of “C” or better, and earn at least a 2.0 overall grade-point average. (Note: To enroll at a senior institution, students must meet the grade-point average requirement of the receiving institution, which may be higher than a 2.0. While CFCC will accept a grade of “C-” from another institution, students should be aware that some UNC institutions will not accept this grade.)
It is the responsibility of the student to meet all graduation requirements.
Students are advised to take in their first or second semester and create a suitable plan of study.
Students must meet the receiving institution’s foreign language and/or health and physical education course, if applicable, prior to or after transfer to the senior institution.
Website that houses the four-year baccalaureate plans at the 16 institutions in the University of North Carolina System: http://cfcc.edu/transfer/curriculum-pathways/.
The Associate in Arts program requirements are outlined as follows:
- Universal General Education Transfer Component (32- 33 semester-hour credits)—These courses are sometimes referred to as the UGETC courses and are supposed to transfer for equivalency credit at the 16 University of North Carolina institutions.
- Additional General Education Courses (14 semester-hour credits)—These may be additional general education courses that CFCC has selected for its students and/ or additional general education courses that a senior institution has recommended or required for an intended major.
- Other Requirements (14 semester-hour credits)—A few electives are mandated by CFCC. Students should select the remaining electives based on the intended major of the senior institution.
