A new statewide program will enable qualifying North Carolina public high school students to bypass the traditional application process into dozens of participating colleges, including UNC Pembroke.

NC College Connect will allow high school seniors with a 2.8 GPA or above to submit a streamlined application to institutions within the state’s community college system and select UNC-System schools.

“We are delighted to be a part of this first group of schools to launch this pilot program,” said Dr. Kelly Brennan, vice chancellor for Enrollment Management. “It’s important to reach students early and get them to search all (school) options, particularly those they may not necessarily be considering. This pilot program helps remove barriers and get students into the thought process.”

NC College Connect will direct students to scholarship and financial aid options. Qualifying high school seniors will receive an official letter by mail this October with an offer to participate in the program for the 2025-26 academic year. Other colleges participating in the pilot program include: 

• Elizabeth City State University (ECSU)

• Fayetteville State University

• University of North Carolina Asheville

• University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Winston-Salem State University

• North Carolina Community Colleges 

The state has invested resources to ensure students have financial aid opportunities to help pay for college, including the Next NC Scholarship and the NC Promise Tuition Plan in which UNCP participates. Under the tuition plan, in-state undergraduates pay $500 in tuition each semester.

“This program is going to help give students that extra push and reassure them that applying for college isn’t that hard,” Brennan said. “The idea is to give students great options to choose from.

“UNC Pembroke has transformed so much in the past decade––in the number of new programs and pathways we offer, in buildings and in the number of students who chose to join BraveNation. We believe this initiative will encourage many more students across the state to see the benefit of a UNCP education and say, ‘I think interesting things are going on at UNCP––I should give them another look.’”