Residency
Under North Carolina law, persons must qualify as NC state residents to be eligible for a tuition rate lower than that for nonresidents. Students applying for admission, transfer, or readmission to any N.C. community college or university must have their residency determined using the Residency Determination Service (RDS) application. Upon completion, students will be issued a Residency Certification Number (RCN) which will be utilized at all colleges in NC.
Most students will only be required to complete the Initial Consideration process. The Reconsideration and Appeal processes are for those students who experience a change in circumstances (Reconsideration) or who have not had a change in status and believe their residency classification is incorrect (Appeal). It is a student’s responsibility to notify the WPCC Student Records office of any changes in residency status.
Refer to the North Carolina Residency Determination Service website for more information.
Transcripts
High School
Curriculum students entering all associate degree programs, diploma and some certificate programs, are required to be diploma graduates of a valid high school or High School Equivalency Diploma Program, home schools approved by the NC Division of Non-Public Education, or valid American schools abroad. Official transcripts including graduation information are required.
Foreign students must have graduated from a secondary school that is equivalent to secondary schools in the United States; otherwise, they must complete a valid High School Equivalency exam or high school program. Only the English version of the High School Equivalency exam will satisfy proof of high school graduation equivalency.
Post-secondary
Students using credit from another institution for course or program eligibility must provide official transcripts to Western Piedmont from the institution which originally granted the credit (see Transfer Student).
Official transcripts may also be required for Financial Aid purposes.
It is the student's responsibility to obtain official transcripts from the origination institutions and have them sent to Western Piedmont Community College.
Application
The online application for admission can be found on the college's website and through CFNC.org. Students uncertain about their chosen program of study are encouraged to visit CFNC.org: go to Plan > Plan For A Career > Learn About Yourself. Explore the career assessments there to help find your career match.
Placement
Students seeking a degree, diploma, or certificate may be required to meet minimum English and math competencies for certain courses and/or programs. Western Piedmont Community College uses multiple methods for placement to determine whether students need additional preparation before attempting college-level math and English courses as well as some courses in other disciplines. Please go to
Placement Testing for more information.