H97 - 2015 Appropriations Act, Sec. 11.7: North Carolina Guaranteed Admission Program (NCGAP) (SL 2015-241)

Overview: Sec. 11.7 of S.L. 2015-241 provides that the General Assembly finds that the six-year graduation rate for students pursuing a baccalaureate degree from a constituent institution is too low and there are actions the constituent institutions may undertake to help students graduate in a more timely manner, including providing easier access to academic counseling. The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina (BOG) and the State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC) are directed to jointly study and evaluate how a deferred admission program, to be known as the North Carolina Guaranteed Admission Program (NCGAP), would best work to meet the needs of students who are identified as academically at risk.

NCGAP requires a student who satisfies the admission criteria of a constituent institution, but whose academic credentials are not as competitive as other students admitted to the institution, to receive deferred admission and enroll in a community college in this State and earn an associate degree prior to enrolling as a student at the constituent institution. A student who earns an associate degree from a community college in this State within three years from the date of the deferred acceptance is guaranteed admission at that constituent institution to complete the requirements for a baccalaureate degree. A constituent institution must hold in reserve an enrollment slot in the appropriate future academic year for any student who accepts a deferred admission. A constituent institution must also reduce its enrollment for each academic year by the number of deferred admissions granted for that academic year.

The BOG and the SBCC must report their findings and recommendations to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the Fiscal Research Division, and the Office of State Budget and Management by March 1, 2016. The report must include an analysis of the fiscal impact NCGAP may have with regard to enrollment at constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina and at community colleges, the number of students who may participate in NCGAP, and its effect on FTEs.

Based on the analysis conducted by the BOG and the SBCC, each constituent institution must design a deferred admission program as part of NCGAP for implementation at the institution. The institution must design the program so that it may be implemented at the institution beginning with the 2016-2017 fiscal year and applied to the institution's admission process for the 2017-2018 academic year and each subsequent academic year.

The SBCC, in consultation with the BOG, must adopt rules to ensure that a student participating in NCGAP is provided counseling and assistance in selecting coursework that reflects the student's educational and career goals and that provides a smooth transition from the community college to the constituent institution.

NCGAP must be implemented at all constituent institutions and all community colleges beginning with the 2016-2017 fiscal year and applies to admissions policies at each constituent institution and community college beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year and each subsequent academic year.

This section became effective July 1, 2015.