Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA)

The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) is a statewide agreement governing the transfer of credits between NC community colleges and NC public universities. It applies to all 58 NC Community Colleges and 16 university campuses.  If all requirements are met, it guarantees admission to ONE of the 16 UNC institutions. A summary of the CAA is below, or view the full CAA (updated January, 2018).

Eligibility

  • Must graduate from a NC community college with an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) degree.
  • Must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Must have grade of “C” or better in all CAA courses (see transfer course list).

Important Facts about the CAA

  • NC community college graduates of two-year associate in arts (AA) and associate in science (AS) degree programs who are admitted to a UNC system campus will transfer with junior status.
  • Students who complete an AA or AS degree prior to transferring to a UNC institution will have fulfilled the UNC institution’s lower division general education requirements.
  • Due to degree requirements in some majors, additional courses at the UNC institution may be required beyond the general education courses and pre-major courses taken at the community college.
  • Community college graduates of the AA or AS degree programs who have earned 60 semester hours in approved transfer courses with a grade of “C” or better and an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will receive at least 60 semester hours of academic credit upon admission to a UNC institution.
  • Requirements for admission to some major programs may require additional pre-specialty courses beyond the pre-major taken at the community college.  Students entering such programs may need more than two academic years of course work to complete the baccalaureate degree, depending on requirements of the program.
  • All courses approved for transfer in the CAA are designated as fulfilling general education or pre-major/elective requirements (see transfer course list).  While general education and pre-major courses may also be used as electives, elective courses may not be used to fulfill general education requirements.
  • CAA courses taken beyond the 60-61 SHC of credit in which the student received less than a “C” will not negate the provisions of the CAA.

Transfer Assured Admissions Policy (TAAP)

The TAAP assures admission to one of the 16 UNC institutions under the following conditions:

  • Admission is not assured to a specific campus or specific program or major.
  • Students must have graduated from an NC community college with an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree. 
  • Students must meet all requirements of the CAA. 
  • Students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, as calculated by the college from which they graduated, and a grade of “C” or better in all CAA courses.
  • Students must be academically eligible for re-admission to the last institution attended.
  • Students must meet judicial requirements of the institution to which they apply.
  • Students must meet all application requirements at the receiving institution, including the submission of all required documentation by stated deadlines.

If a student is denied admission to a UNC institution, then he or she will be notified in writing by the institution.  In this notification, the student will be directed to the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) website (www.cfnc.org) where the student will be given information regarding space availability and contacts in the respective UNC Admissions offices.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact each institution’s admissions office to get specific information about admissions and available majors.

If the previous steps do not result in admission to a UNC institution, then the student should contact the CFNC Resource Center at 1-866-866-CFNC. 

Transfer Credit Appeal

If a student from an NC Community College System college believes the terms of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) have not been honored by a UNC institution to which the student has been admitted, the student may invoke the CAA Transfer Credit Appeal Procedure.

Steps in Filing an Appeal

Step #1:

  • By the last day of classes of the first semester for which admission is offered, the student must submit a CAA Transfer Credit Appeal Form along with any supporting documentation to the director of admission at the UNC campus to which the student has been admitted.  Students first enrolling at the senior institution in a summer session must submit their appeal by the end of the subsequent fall semester.
  • The student must specify on the appeal form the specific CAA language that is in contention.  Appeals that lack this information will not be considered.
  • The Director of Admission will review the appeal and respond in writing (email or letter) to the student within 15 business days.

Step #2:

  • If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Director of Admission, he/she may appeal on the same form to the Chief Academic Officer (Provost) of the University within 15 days of written notice of the director’s decision.
  • The Provost will review the appeal and respond in writing (email or letter) to the student within 15 business days of receiving the student’s appeal.

Step #3

  • If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Provost, he/she may appeal to the Transfer Advisory Committee (TAC) subcommittee, composed of the Co-chairs, a representative from the UNC General Administration, and a representative from the NCCCS.  The student must submit the appeal to the subcommittee within 15 days of the receipt of the Provost’s decision.  The appeal to the TAC subcommittee should be sent to:
                               UNC-GA Transfer Advisory Committee Member
                               CAA Appeal, PO Box 2688, Chapel Hill, NC 27515

    If a consensus is reached by the subcommittee, the student will be notified within 15 business days; if a consensus resolution is not reached, the appeal will be forwarded by the subcommittee to the full TAC within 10 business days.  The TAC will review the appeal and notify the student of the final decision within 10 business days of receiving the appeal.