Community Colleges shall permit the following persons to attend classes for credit or noncredit purposes without the required payment of tuition although applicable fees must be paid. However, such persons must meet admission and other standards deemed appropriate by the educational institution and shall be accepted by the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina only on a space-available basis.
Please Note: Tuition waivers may not apply to all types of classes.
Public Safety Personnel
- Volunteer Firemen (including any non-profit departments);
- Municipal, County, or State Fire Departments;
- Volunteer EMS or Rescue and Lifesaving Departments (including any non-profit departments);
- Municipal, County, or State EMS or Rescue and Lifesaving Departments;
- Radio Emergency Associated Communication’s Teams (REACT) under contract to a county as an emergency response agency;
- Municipal, County, or State Law Enforcement Agencies;
- The Department of Correction for the training of full-time custodial employees and employees of the Department’s Division of Community Corrections required to be certified under Chapter 17C of the General Statutes and the rules of the Criminal Justice and Training Standards Commission; and
- The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for the training of employees required to be certified under Chapter 17C of the General Statutes and the rules of the Criminal Justice and Training Standards Commission.
For the purposes of this legislation, “Municipal, county, or State” fire departments, EMS or rescue and lifesaving departments, and law enforcement agencies are defined as agencies of the State of North Carolina, a North Carolina municipality, or a North Carolina county. This definition does not include private, for-profit entities, including those under contract to the State, a municipality, or a county.
Section 8.12(d) amends G.S. 115D-39 to provide that “federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and rescue and lifesaving personnel whose permanent duty station is within North Carolina shall also be eligible for the State resident community college tuition rate for courses that support their organizations' training needs and are approved for this purpose by the State Board of Community Colleges.” Since there is no distinction for in-state and out-of-state registration fees for continuing education courses, the affected federal employees would be subject to the regular continuing education fees.
High School Students
- High School Students Taking College Courses (Career & College Promise)
Community College Groups
- Students Enrolled in Basic Skills Plus
- Students Enrolled in a Human Resources Development (HRD) Program*
- Trainees Enrolled in Basic Law Enforcement Training w/ Sponsorship Letter*
*Individuals must meet program-specific eligibility requirements.
Others/Senior Citizens Auditing Classes
- Elementary and Secondary School Teachers who take CPR or first aid classes
- Any child, between 17 and 23 years old, who is a Ward of the State*
- Survivors, spouse and child, of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker who was killed or permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty*
- Students auditing classes at the College are required to pay the same tuition and fees as students receiving credit for the course. A course can only be audited twice. This regulation applies to both resident and nonresident students. To officially register to “audit” a course, the same registration procedures apply as if the course is being taken for credit. The Approval to Audit Form must be completed and signed by the student before registering. Registration or changes in registration for audits must be completed by the 10 percent point of the semester. Only two grades will be issued for a student who audits a course: A grade of WD will be issued for a student who withdraws, or an AU will be issued if the student completes the course.
- Participation in class discussion and examination is the option of the instructor. Students auditing classes must attend at least one class meeting on, or before, the date representing the 10 percent point of the class, or the instructor will complete a Drop Notice. The student will then be dropped from the class roster and cannot attend classes. A student auditing a course who satisfies the 10 percent attendance requirement will have no further attendance requirements. Students may not audit cooperative work experience courses.
*Individuals must meet program-specific eligibility requirements.
Non-Residents: Waiver of Out-of-State Tuition to In-State (A)
- Armed Service Personnel and their Dependents
- Members of the North Carolina National Guard Unit
- North Carolina Residents who lose their legal residence status
- Members of families that were transferred to North Carolina by business, industry, or civilian families transferred by the Military
- Out-of-state residents who work for North Carolina employers (employer is charged in- state rate)
- Refugees who lawfully entered the United States and are living in the State
- Non-residents of the United States who have resided in North Carolina for a 12-month qualifying period and have filed an immigrant petition
- A person lawfully admitted to the United States who satisfied the qualifications from the public school and has graduated
- Non-residents lawfully admitted to the United States and sponsored by a North Carolina nonprofit entity*
*Individual, employer, or sponsor must meet specific eligibility requirements.