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North Carolina’s higher education institutions are collaborating and streamlining pathways to post-secondary education and training so more North Carolinians can enroll. That’s creating better lives for them and building the workforce.
Last summer, a new program helped 63,000 high school seniors learn that a seat with their name on it was waiting at select North Carolina colleges and universities. “We piloted NC College Connect … with community colleges and independent universities using a simplified application process,” says Shun Robertson, senior vice president for strategy and policy with the University of North Carolina. “This year marks the first time we’ve offered direct admissions.”
NC College Connect casts a large net. “We have 98 institutions across North Carolina participating, including all 58 community colleges, 29 independent colleges and universities, and 11 public universities,” Robertson says. Qualifying for admission starts with a grade-point average of at least 2.8. Some colleges and universities have additional requirements, depending on a student’s course of study. “As long as they meet the requirements at their chosen institution, they are guaranteed acceptance,” she says.
NC College Connect is one effort in an all-hands-on-deck approach to increasing enrollment and graduation rates at North Carolina’s higher education institutions. The returns are many, including helping residents thrive in today’s world and providing a workforce for North Carolina’s expanding economy.
Defining the needs
UNC enrollment reached a record last year. At nearly 250,000 students, it was 2.2% more than the year prior, according to the 16-university system. While that number is healthy, Robertson says data is predicting a steep drop in enrollment, the result of fewer high school graduates nationwide, starting with the class of 2028. The largest factor contributing to the decrease is the country’s falling fertility rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there were 1.93 babies born per woman in 2010. That’s down from 2.08 in 1990 and 2.48 in 1970.
A UNC System report points out the other factors contributing to the predicted enrollment drop. They include concerns about the upfront cost of college and a shift in public perception of a college degree’s value in the marketplace. NC College Connect, along with expedited financial aid, increased focus on outcomes and a compressed timeframe to earn a degree, are some ways those concerns are being addressed.
Compounding the expected drop in the number of high school graduates is the growing number of North Carolina residents enrolling in out-of-state colleges. NCICU President Hope Williams believes NC College Connect will keep more home, not only to receive an education but pursue a career after graduation, too. She believes it’s good for students, the state’s higher education institutions and economy.
Business news channel CNBC recently ranked North Carolina as its top state for business, the third time it has earned that honor since 2022.
Supplying the state’s growing business community with qualified employees is higher education’s North Star, so it’s always top of mind for Williams. “If we want to continue ranking as the best state to do business, we must produce the kind of workforce our business and industry needs, and we need to figure out how to keep more of our students in North Carolina,” she says.
NCICU members serve about 60,000 undergraduates and 24,000 graduate students. From the smallest colleges, such as Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, to behemoths, such as Duke University, it’s a diverse group of 36 institutions. Williams says no two are alike.
One NCICU member is Campbell University in Buies Creek, which offers undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs. It offers experiential learning at its Raleigh campus, where students can earn a law degree from its law school or a business degree — either a bachelor’s or a master’s — from its business school.
Campbell University reported an enrollment of 592 freshman students in fall 2024. That’s 6% more than the previous year and nearly 20% more than in 2022. There were 169 transfer students this past year, an increase of 32% from the year prior.
William Downs began as Campbell University’s sixth president in July. He succeeds J. Bradley Creed, who retired after a decade-long tenure. Prior to joining Campbell, Downs served as Gardner-Webb University’s president.
Paying for education
There’s a price tag attached to higher education, whether it’s undertaken at a community college or private university. And while NC College Connect lays out a smooth pathway to admission for eligible students, they still must pay for it. Need-based scholarships, Pell grants and financial aid are available to close the cost gap, helping keep higher education affordable. Students also can find tuition money through college and university scholarships, and many businesses and community-based organizations offer help.
Independent College Fund of North Carolina recently completed its 2024-2025 fundraising campaign. A division of NCICU that provides scholarship aid and enrichment programs, it raised nearly $2.7 million, the fourth-highest amount in the fund’s 70-year history. It includes $438,936 for scholarships, more than $1 million in grant support for NCICU programs and more than $1.2 million of in-kind donations.
Among the initiatives and programs benefiting from the recent fundraising campaign is NCICU’s new Transfer Pathways Initiative. The statewide portal streamlines course credit mobility between community colleges and NCICU’s four-year institutions. “We are fortunate in North Carolina to have both a comprehensive articulation agreement for students to be able to transfer the first two years of college courses, and we also have discipline-specific agreements for those students who know the major they wish to pursue,” Williams says.
UNC System created Transfer Guides last year. The online tool matches a student’s community college credits with four-year degree requirements in specific majors at the state’s public universities. N.C. Community College System President Jeff Cox welcomes the college transfer programs. “This represents a significant milestone in our ongoing collaborative commitment to enhancing economic mobility for families across North Carolina,” he says.
Cox says community college enrollment, including continuing education, curriculum programs and the high school dual enrollment programs, is increasing. The system, whose budget is $1.6 billion, serves more than 600,000 students, preparing them to fill in-demand jobs upon graduation or program completion. And that responsibility continues to grow. Amazon, for example, recently announced a $10 billion data center and 500 jobs in Richmond County, and aviation startup JetZero expects to create more than 14,500 jobs at its $4.7 billion Greensboro factory. “Business is booming in North Carolina for sure,” he says. “And we continue to receive new record-breaking economic development announcements.”
Cox touts Propel NC, which would shift the system’s funding to a program-based model from full-time course enrollment. He says it’s a better way of meeting the state’s growing workforce needs. “What keeps me on my toes are the thousands of jobs we need to fill over the next several years,” he says. “And we need to make sure we’re not just graduating more students, but we’re graduating the students with the right credentials.”
The community college system has requested $93 million to fund Propel NC in the next biennium, and the Senate has included $73 million in its budget. But as of Aug. 1, the General Assembly had not passed a full 2025-2026 budget.
Cox shares success stories, including a partnership between Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy, Surry Community College and Surry-Yadkin Works that’s building and filling a talent pipeline for nurses, which are much in demand. “The hospital was investing millions of dollars in hiring contract nurses to fill the gaps,” he says. “But using apprenticeship programs, the partnership was able to build an adequate supply of nurses, and the hospital system is now out of the contract nurse business.”
Crystal Folger-Hawks is executive director of Surry-Yadkin Works, a program that takes a streamlined approach to connecting students with apprenticeship opportunities. The program serves students starting in high school and a variety of businesses and industries. It turned its attention to the state’s nursing shortage, which UNC Chapel Hill’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research expects to reach 12,500 by 2033, a few years ago.
“We started partnering with Northern Regional Hospital in 2020 and started a youth pre-apprenticeship program,” she says. “This enables high school students to become paid certified nursing assistants while they work toward earning an associate nursing degree.”
Folger-Hawks says the youth pre-apprenticeship program is an important recruitment tool for the hospital. The program has expanded. “We serve about 100 nursing students per graduating class, and we encourage them to earn their bachelor’s degree at cooperating universities,” she says.
Returning to the classroom
There may be as many as a million North Carolinians whose efforts to earn a college degree were halted when life got in the way. They have a second chance to finish what they started thanks to Project Kitty Hawk, says its president and CEO, Andrew Kelly. The statewide initiative helps adults with some college coursework but no degree or credential complete their studies at UNC System schools. “Project Kitty Hawk grew out of a sense that we needed to do a lot more to serve individuals in North Carolina over the age of 25 who had not yet completed that bachelor’s degree,” he says.
North Carolina Central University, Appalachian State University and East Carolina University are Project Kitty Hawk’s partner universities. They offer 14 undergraduate programs and one graduate program. Programming is structured so it’s convenient for returning students. Five semesters are offered on a rolling basis. Each lasts eight weeks, providing structure, flexibility and opportunities for acceleration. “To date, 1,700 students have started in the program since 2023, and we have 20 graduates,” Kelly says. “We are on an upward trajectory and expect to grow over time.” The next step is to partner with employers to help graduates start their new careers.
Not all adult learners seek degrees. NC State offers continuing education for those seeking professional development. Its Division for Continuing and Lifelong Education efforts started a century ago as a public service to residents. That mission continues today as the division expands to meet existing and new needs of individuals, organizations and communities. “Today, we have a robust program portfolio,” says NC State Vice Provost Mark Bernhard. “In fiscal year 2025, which just ended, we served 162,616 adult learners in over 1,000 different continuing education events.”
Most of NC State’s continuing education happens at McKimmon Conference and Training Center. The dedicated space hosts conferences, workshops, training sessions and seminars. “We work closely with state agencies, corporations, nonprofits that do educational programming,” Bernhard says.
NC State’s customized training and development services are growing to fit industry and state and local government needs. That includes a partnership with the town of Cary; the university creates tailored programs, including one that uses real-time projects and town data in its curriculum. The university also works with The Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center on Centennial Campus, training and developing the skills of professionals for that industry’s workforce. “Our mission is to empower individuals to pursue a lifetime of success and impact,” Bernhard says. “And we’re developing a framework for how to deliver credentials for high-demand skills.” Bernhard says it’s an exciting time for NC State. ■
— Teri Saylor is a freelance writer in Raleigh.
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