4. What We Look For

Admission into the C3 program is competitive. While academic factors such as your past high school or college work provide a strong indicator of your future academic success, we consider your whole story. We also want to hear how your life experiences have shaped you into the person you are today and influenced your desire to obtain a degree from NC State.

We may consider:

• High school courses and GPA
• Trends in your grades
• College courses and GPA
• Life experiences
• Financial circumstances and household income
• Ability to overcome challenges
• Time remaining at community college

For high school seniors with no college coursework

We are looking for strong grades and challenging courses throughout your years of high school.  We are also looking for students who finish strong in their final two years of high school.

For high school seniors with college coursework (CCP or other dual-enrollment courses)

In addition to considering your performance in your high school courses, we will also evaluate your performance in the college courses you have already completed.

For current community college students

Community college students should be enrolled in an Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Teacher Preparation (AATP or ASTP), or Associate in Engineering (AE) degree program at one of our partner community colleges.  

We’re generally looking for students with less than 30 hours completed at the community college and at least one full year remaining in your associate degree. You must be eligible to return to each institution you previously attended.  If you have attempted coursework at NC State, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher on your NC State work.

For Early College students

Early college students should apply between the second semester of their junior/3rd year of high school and the 2nd semester of their senior/4th year of high school. Early college students must complete the 5th year of high school to participate in C3. In addition to the standard C3 requirements, you will be required to submit a letter of recommendation from an early college high school or community college administrator (principal, counselor, dean, or teacher). If you’re admitted as an early college student through C3, you would be considered a transfer applicant, not a first year student. So you would not be eligible or considered for freshman/first-year scholarships.

SAT/ACT Scores

Standardized test scores are NOT required for admission into the C3 program.

Your life experiences and opportunities

We consider first-generation status, family socio-economic background, and rural area background. We consider obstacles that applicants may have overcome to get to where they are today. We also recognize that not everyone’s path to a 4-year degree begins right out of high school, so we consider other life experiences such as serving in the military, starting your own business, and balancing work and family responsibilities while going to school.

Your individual story

We want to hear from you about distinctive experiences, skills, challenges, or successes you may have had.  If you have a unique circumstance that may have affected your past academic performance or helped to define your future educational goals, we encourage you to share your story. Our two short answer questions give you a chance to tell your story and why you want to start your college journey through C3.

If you want to leverage an AI tool like ChatGPT for help writing your short answer questions, we encourage you to use it as a learning experience that can help brainstorm ideas and structure thoughts. In the end, we want to hear about your experience in your own unique voice.