10.5 ADMISSIONS POLICIES AND PRACTICES
The institution publishes admissions policies consistent with its mission. Recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent the practices, policies, and accreditation status of the institution. The institution also ensures that independent contractors or agents used for recruiting purposes and for admission activities are governed by the same principles and policies as institutional employees.
JUDGEMENT
Compliance 
Non-Compliance
Partial Compliance
NARRATIVE
Mission: “North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University advances knowledge through scholarly exchange and transforms society with exceptional teaching, learning, discovery and community engagement. An 1890 land-grant doctoral research institution with a distinction in STEM and commitment to excellence in all disciplines, North Carolina A&T creates innovative solutions that address the challenges and economic needs of North Carolina, the nation and the world.” (Approved by N.C. A&T Board of Trustees, Feb. 16, 2018, and UNC Board of Governors, March 23, 2018.)
The institution’s mission undergirds its admissions policies and practices, which are communicated to its constituencies. The admissions policies are primarily published through the university website, its Undergraduate Bulletin, and its Graduate Catalog. These policies include:
https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/legal/policies/sec2-acad-affairs/aa-undergraduate-admissions-2016.pdf
ADMISSIONS OF STUDENTS SEEKING A
SECOND BACHELOR’S DEGREE
https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/legal/policies/sec2-acad-affairs/admission-of-students-seeking-a-second-bachelors-degree.pdf
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT ADMISSION AS UNDERGRADUATE
https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/legal/policies/sec2-acad-affairs/non-traditional-student-admission.pdf
https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/legal/policies/sec2-acad-affairs/Graduate_Admissions.pdf
https://hub.ncat.edu/administration/legal/policies/sec2-acad-affairs/Graduate-Admissions-Appeals.pdf
These policies guide our admissions decisions on a daily basis.
N.C. A&T State University is an equal opportunity institution committed to the equality of educational opportunity, and it does not discriminate against applicants based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age or disability. Unless otherwise specified, admission to all undergraduate curricula is under the jurisdiction of the Director of Undergraduate Admissions.
N.C. A&T also produces recruitment materials consistent with the mission of the institution. These materials include but are not limited to banners, letterheads, electronic message templates, event décor (table tents), apparel, presentation materials, postcards, flyers, websites and more. A example is attached—The Undergraduate Viewbook. The materials are widely disseminated in print and electronic forms.
Undergraduate Admissions
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions upholds the university’s high standard to recruit, admit, and enroll domestic and international first-time college-bound freshmen and transfer students, who have an outstanding array of academic credentials and extracurricular endeavors; very diverse socioeconomic, geographic, athletic, religious, cultural, racial, ethnic, and international backgrounds; and wide-ranging interests, achievements, experiences, talents, and beliefs. This contributes to the university’s mission for actively engaged and high-achieving students and advancing knowledge through scholarly exchange.
The basic admission process that apply to all undergraduate applicants include
a. submission of the online application for admission to the university along with the application fee, and
b. submission of official credentials to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions before the beginning of the semester in which they plan to enroll.
The admissions criteria include:
a.
Evidence of academic
achievement, such as satisfactory SAT scores and High School GPA.
b. Out-of-state Capacity
c. Minimum high school course requirements
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions publishes the admissions criteria online, in a variety of recruitment materials, and in the Undergraduate Bulletin, pp. 36-37.
A file of recruitment materials will be available for review by the on-site, consistent with the NOTE in the SACSCOC Resources Manual, p. 97.
Graduate Admissions
Admission to a graduate program is based on a holistic evaluation of the applicant that includes the applicant’s academic qualifications, the applicant’s interest and experience relative to the program, and the capacity of the program. The applicant’s academic qualifications are judged on a number of criteria that may include grades on individual courses, overall grade point average, accreditation status of prior colleges/universities attended, standardized test scores, language proficiency, strength of recommendation letters, and additional criteria specified by the academic program. The applicant’s interest and experience relative to the program is assessed through the personal essay, history of prior research and work experience, clinical skills, and, in some cases, through personal interviews. The academic program determines its capacity for admitting new students based on its current resources and enrollment of continuing students in the program.
Graduate admissions information is shared online and in printed materials. The Graduate College landing page links to much useful information, including Graduate Admissions Instruction and “Apply Now.”
The university’s website, its primary means of communicating admissions information, lists many of its accolades including its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Distance Education Admissions
Distance education students must be formally admitted to the university, following the criteria established for the degree program. There is not a separate application process for the students, and no special considerations are offered to online learners.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is committed to ensuring compliance with state authorization requirements that govern the offering of online degree and certificate programs and courses in other states, including complaint processes. The university complies with the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and was approved in 2017 to participate in NC-SARA.
The university’s
online programs are branded as A&T Online and prospective students as well as
current students can find a tremendous amount of information at the website.
International Student Admissions
International students must meet all criteria for acceptance into a degree program of study at N.C. A&T and provide documented proof of ability to meet financial responsibility associated with enrollment and living expenses. The Office of International Programs assists international students in successfully navigating the admissions process for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Information is available to prospective international students online at https://www.ncat.edu/academics/international-affairs/student-information/index.php.
Recruitment Materials
The Office of University Relations provides approval for university branded materials and the Office of Procurement Services provides guidance and approval for the bid, selection, and purchasing of recruiting materials.
University Relations is the central communications office for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and is responsible for marketing, branding, crisis communications, media relations and other major elements of identification and communications for the university. In an effort to protect the university’s written messages and visual brand, all print and electronic publications (internal and external) that are viewed by prospective students and the general public must be approved by the Office of University Relations. This process includes sharing an electronic sample layout from the vendor with the Director of University Communications for approval. The Director of University Communications reviews for brand consistency and grammatical errors before granting final approval. This process is followed with each recruitment piece. In addition, University Relations has designed templates for university-branded presentations and communications.
Independent Contractors
The
university does not use independent contractors or agents to recruit
students. However, independent contractors are used to secure many of the
services used in the recruitment process including traditional and electronic
promotional materials. Each unit working on the development of promotional
materials does so under the supervision of Office of University Relations whose
responsibility it is to maintain strict quality control. The Office of
University Relations is supervised by the Associate Vice
Chancellor for University Relations, who reports directly to the Chancellor’s
Chief of Staff.
Supporting Documents:
1. Undergraduate Admissions Policy>
2. Admissions of Students Seeking a Second Bachelor’s Degree
3. Non-Traditional Student Admission As Undergraduate
5. Graduate Admissions Appeals
7. Undergraduate Admissions Criteria
8. Graduate Admissions Information
10. A&T Online
11. International Students Admission