Articulation & Community Colleges

The North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement provides a seamless process that joins secondary and postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs of study. The 2023 Articulation Agreement was approved in May 2023 by the NCCCS Board effective for SY23-24 and beyond.  

This new statewide articulation agreement includes 53 high school CTE courses that match the knowledge and skills taught in similar community college courses. The articulation agreement ensures that if a student is proficient in a certain high school course(s), the student can receive college credit for a similar course or combination of courses at any North Carolina community college. This streamlines the student’s educational pathway by eliminating the need to pass multiple courses with the same learning outcomes.

Criteria for Receiving and Documenting Articulated Credit

To receive credit, the articulated course(s) must be included in a selected program of study. Additionally, students must enroll in a NC community college within two years of high school graduation and meet the following criteria:

1. Final grade of "B" or higher in the high school course 

     AND 

2. Proof of Learning (POL) 

• CTE post assessment* - Score of 90 or higher  
• Performance-based Measurement (PBM) - Meets course proficiency
• Industry Credentials - Courses that have industry credentials as proof of learning will follow the procedure for Credit for Prior Learning as outlined in NC Community College System Curriculum Procedures Reference Manual

Community college officials must verify eligibility of the courses listed on the submitted high school transcript to receive articulated credit. Students may be asked to submit additional supporting documentation or demonstration to receive credit. Colleges must follow the criteria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in awarding credit.

In addition to this statewide articulation agreement, local articulation agreements can be developed to build strong partnerships between high schools and individual community colleges. These local articulation agreements respond to new and emerging industries, provide for programs unique to the region, and add additional articulated courses and pathway alignments at the local level that are not included in the state agreement.  

The following courses from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Durham Public Schools, and Orange County Schools have been articulated with the following Durham Technical Community College courses.