RALEIGH (March 23, 2022) – NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson knows the importance of community colleges – the state’s 58 colleges send NC State about 1,000 students a year.

“Community colleges across the state have become a critical pathway to NC State, and I know that’s true for many other universities in the UNC System,” Woodson says in the accompanying video.

“We need to make sure that all the young people across our state know a pathway to get to one of our great universities.”

Students can transfer to NC State from any of the state’s 58 community colleges, Woodson says.

But through its Community College Collaboration (C3) program, NC State has formed deep partnerships with 13¹ colleges within about 100 miles of Raleigh from which it receives the most transfer students.

“A student can enter one of these 13 community colleges with the express goal of coming to NC State, and they’re admitted simultaneously with the community college and NC State,” Woodson says.

“So from their first day of classes at one of the community colleges, they’re advised by NC State advisors on what courses to take, how to transfer those courses to the university, and how to be prepared to enter the degree program at NC State that’s your ultimate goal. That’s gone phenomenally well.”

Woodson understands that not every student knows what they want to do when they’re 18 – and says we need to pay attention to those students.

“You know, I may have been one of those,” he says. “Not everyone as a senior in high school knows, ‘I want to go to Central Carolina Community College with a goal of getting to NC State.’ 

“But we want those who are at a community college like Central Carolina to have a clear understanding of what the pathway is. And we’re getting much better at this as an institution. The System is getting better at it. And it’s so critical for the state.

“Because a community college represents a great affordable education where you’re typically staying at home and attending classes – you may be working at the same time. And that gets you to the finish line with much less debt, and in a short amount of time.”

For more information on NC State’s Community College Collaboration (C3) program, click here. 

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¹ Since our interview with Chancellor Woodson, the C3 program has announced expansion to six additional community colleges, including four campuses that are part of its new Military Connect Program. The new colleges include Coastal Carolina, Craven, Fayetteville Technical and Wayne community colleges, all part of Military Connect; as well as Catawba Valley Community College and Gaston College.