Academic Advising – FAQs

Connect with your advisor for assistance with course selection prior to or during registration or at anytime to talk about your academic and career goals. It is important to make sure you have created and verified your myCFCC student portal account prior to your meeting.

New Students & Non-Degree Seeking Students

Associate in General Education (including pre-Health Science programs)/Special Credit/Guest Students:

You will meet with an Academic Advisor in our Academic Advising Center.

College Transfer Students

Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Engineering, and Associate in Fine Arts:

You will work with an Academic Advisor in our Academic Advising Center throughout your enrollment at Cape Fear Community College.

Career & Technical Program Students

Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, and Certificate programs:

Schedule your FIRST ADVISING meeting with an advisor in the Academic Advising Center. You will be assigned a Faculty Advisor, an instructor in your program of study, who will advise you for the remainder of your program. Faculty advisor offices are not located in the Academic Advising Center. They are located in the program department office locations as listed in the Faculty and Staff Directory.

Many students attend CFCC with the intention of transferring to a four-year college or university. If this is your goal, you are encouraged to plan early and choose a program of study that matches your academic and career direction.
 
It is suggested that students research transfer options early, including campus visits. Connecting to Transfer Admission Representatives at respective schools of interest can help CFCC students align course selections – saving time and money! Need help? Visit CFCC Academic Advising Center at the Downtown Campus or at our North Campus location in the Learning Lab located within Library!

Students are encouraged to become familiar with the Handbook to review all program options and requirements for degree completion.

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COLLEGE VISITS

Transfer Admissions Representatives routinely visit CFCC every Fall and Spring. Check the Student Services Calendar for dates/times/locations where you can meet with them and ask questions regarding the transfer. Explore your options!
Remember, it is your responsibility to know the deadlines, application process, admission requirements, and cost of colleges or universities you plan to transfer to. If you need assistance, please visit the CFCC Academic Advising Center located on the Downtown or North campus.

Visit CFCC’s Transfer Guide to learn more about transferring to a NC college or university

What is C-STEP?

The Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP) is a partnership between Cape Fear Community College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made possible by a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The goal of C-STEP is to identify high-achieving students (minimum 3.2 GPA) who would not otherwise attend a selective college or university; to enroll these students in the Associate in Arts/Science program at one of the partnering community colleges; to mentor these students through successful completion of an Associate degree (AA/AS); to transfer these students, as juniors, to UNC-Chapel Hill; and to support their successful completion of a baccalaureate degree.
 
Entry into the program is competitive and is based on both community involvement and academic excellence. Statistics show that transfer students from North Carolina Community Colleges perform better, on average as juniors than those who enter the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as freshmen.
 
C-STEP is not a scholarship program nor is it part of the general process routinely followed by students applying to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as college freshmen or traditional community college students applying to UNC-CH as College-University transfer students. Rather, C-STEP identifies talented students as early as high school and facilitates their eventual admission and transfer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as juniors, if they earn an appropriate associate’s degree at Cape Fear Community College and complete C-STEP and UNC-CH participation and admissions requirements. While using funds from Federal Student Financial Aid to pay for tuition and books at the community college, C-STEP students are provided exemplary advising, mentoring, and support during their transition and subsequent enrollment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
 
This collaborative effort will ensure that Cape Fear Community College C-STEP students feel “firmly planted” at Carolina almost immediately after transferring there. These students will be academically prepared and fully engaged in the campus community — and both are strong indicators of student success.
 

Program Benefits

Students benefit from an opportunity to prepare academically and engage with the Carolina campus community throughout the program, in addition to:

• Special Events
• Advising
• Transition and support services

 

Application Deadlines

Key Dates	Application Deadline	Notification Date
Graduating high school seniors – OR – High School seniors with 30 dual enrollment credit hours or less – OR – Current CFCC students with 30 credits hours or less including current semester course work	April 1	Late April
Current CFCC students with 30 credit hours or less including current semester course work	October 1	Late November

Contact Information

Casey Errante
C-Step Liaison UNC-Chapel Hill
cstep@cfcc.edu
 
 
Read more about C-Step at www.cfcc.edu/c-step

What is Reverse Transfer at CFCC?

The awarding of an associate degree to students who previously attended CFCC and fulfilled the associate degree requirement while working towards a bachelor’s degree at one of the participating UNC schools.

How do I participate?

Eligible students can participate when they transfer to one of the participating universities. Check with your university regarding the program and be sure to “opt-in” or check with a counselor for additional instructions regarding how to opt-in.
Because the Reverse Transfer program has different requirements, in order for these to apply, you must first opt-in at the university.

Am I eligible?

• You must have completed/earned at least 25 percent of credit hours at CFCC.
• Your associate degree then depends on the credits earned at the university; each student’s credits will be evaluated to see if the combined credits meet the degree and graduation requirements.
• The universities will send data to us twice a year (approximately February and July). We will evaluate your earned credits to ensure you have reached a total number of credits toward earning the associate’s degree. Your information may be sent to us multiple times until you’ve reached the total number of credits required.

How does it work?

After you have given permission for the university to send your records to us, your records will be sent to us once you have earned at least 60 credits. We will download your data, evaluate your transcripts, pull in the appropriate courses and certify you if eligible. Once you are certified, you will receive a letter letting you know your status and an invitation to participate if you choose, in our commencement ceremony. You will also receive important information regarding the ceremony. If you choose not to participate, you will be given the option to have your degree mailed to you or picked up from our downtown location once all have been printed.
If you are not eligible, you will be notified by CFNC/NCCCS. For more information, visit www.cfnc.org/reversetransfer or www.northcarolina.edu/reversetransfer

Thinking of taking an online course? Here’s what you need to know.

Online courses can be a good option for you if you need flexibility due to job, family, or other responsibilities. Online Learning is offered in two formats: Internet (I) and Hybrid (Y):

Internet courses take place entirely online (a proctored test onsite may be required depending on program) They are a good match for students who have strong time management skills and are self-motivated. Internet courses are designated by an I in the class’s course code. Examples: ENG111-I1, PSY151-I2, HIS121-I3S.

Hybrid courses are a mixture of online and face-to-face time in a classroom and can be a good match for students who know they need guidance in the form of regular class meeting. Hybrid courses are designated by an Y in the class’s course code. Examples: ENG095-DY1, ART111-NY1, SPA111-DYE1.

Be Aware!

Online courses often require more time and work than face-to-face courses. In a traditional face-to-face course, you are expected to spend three hours working outside of class for every hour in class. However, in many courses you will rarely spend this much time working. In an online course, many of these “outside” hours are built into the assignments and can be tracked–forcing you to actually commit yourself to spend the full amount of time on the course.

Online courses are not self-paced. They have firm deadlines. You might think that an online course will allow you to complete assignments at your own pace. However, online courses at CFCC typically have firm deadlines just like face-to-face courses. In fact, many instructors keep identical schedules in their online and face-to-face courses.

What you need to succeed in an online course.

• Self-motivation and time management skills. Although online courses are not self-paced, they do require you to keep up with a set schedule. In a fully online (Internet) course, this is especially important as you do not have regular face-to-face meetings to remind you of deadlines.
• A computer with reliable internet access that you have access to every day.
• Basic computer skills like typing, emailing, attaching files, and navigating file structures. Online courses assume a basic level of computer competency. If you have never or rarely used a computer before or simply don’t feel comfortable using new technology, you should consider taking a computer skills course before you move on to Internet or Hybrid courses.

Need Help? We are here for you!

For help with online courses start here .

This video tutorial will guide you step-by-step.