Community College

How to apply

Applying to community college is very straightforward and involves 3 main steps:

Applying for NC residency
Applying to the community college
Applying for Financial Aid

You can accomplish all three steps by setting up an account and using the resources on CFNC.org.

APPLYING FOR NC RESIDENCY

All students applying to community colleges must file for NC residency. You will need your parent's help to complete and they will information such as previous addresses, social security numbers, and vehicle registration.

Please see your counselor for tricky situations such as students and/or parents that are not residents. Also, please see your counselor if you are denied residency and need to file an appeal.

File your NC residency here. You will use your CFNC.org log-in and your residency number will port to your college application automatically.

APPLYING TO YOUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

To apply for community college, follow these steps:

Log in to CFNC.org
Click the apply to college button up top
Click the orange Application Hub button on the right
Search for your community college
Complete the application
Make sure to send your transcript on the final page of the application

APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID

Everyone should apply for financial aid! You should file even if you do not think you will qualify because you never know when your financial circumstances may change. Application will open this year on December 1st.

In order to apply for financial aid, you and your parents will fill out a form called the FAFSA. You can access it here.

For the fall of 2025, your parents will need their 2023 taxes. Make sure to also include the college to which you are applying in the FAFSA application. The federal government will send your information on to that college, and the college will then notify you if you are eligible for any financial aid.

Again, see your counselor for tricky situations like your parents do not have a social security number, or your parents are divorced.

Planning your courses

What courses you take at community college can make the difference between graduating college in 4 years or longer which may negate the money you saved by starting at community college.

As soon as you know what college you would like to transfer to, and what major you would like to pursue, use this site to plan your courses throughout your Associates degree to facilitate an easy transfer to a four year college.

Guaranteed Transfer Programs

After you apply to your community college, consider applying to a guaranteed transfer program! Many of the 4-year colleges in NC have them, but I am going to highlight two of our local college programs. Consider applying to C-Step (Carolina) and C3(NCSU). Both require an additional supplemental application and carry eligibility requirements so check out the links.

Benefits:

Guaranteed you will transfer to your 4-year college as a junior as long as you maintain your gpa
Extra advising at your 4-year college and community college
Social events
Special opportunities