Career and College Promise

The purpose of Career and College Promise is to offer structured opportunities for qualified high school students to dually enroll in community college courses that provide pathways that lead to a certificate, diploma, degree, or State or industry-recognized credential as well as provide entry-level jobs skills

Career and College Promise offers North Carolina high school students a clear path to success in college and/or in a career. The program is tuition-free to all North Carolina students who meet the eligibility requirements. Through a partnership of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the N.C. Community College System, the University of North Carolina System and many independent colleges and universities, North Carolina is helping eligible high school students to begin earning college credit at a community college campus tuition-free for them and their families.  

The three pathways are:

1. College Transfer Pathways (CTP) require the completion of at least 30 semester hours of transfer courses, including English and mathematics.
2. Career and Technical Education Pathways (CTE):
   • a curriculum Career and Technical Education Pathway leading to a certificate or diploma aligned with a high school career cluster.
   • a Workforce Continuing Education Pathway (WCEP) leading to a State or industry recognized credential aligned with a high school career cluster.
3. Cooperative Innovative High School Programs (CIHSP) are located on college campuses (unless a waiver was provided) and provide opportunities for students to complete an associate degree program or earn up to two years of college credit within five years. Examples include Early and Middle College High Schools.

More information can be found at www.nccommunitycolleges.edu.

Mayland Early College High School (MECHS) Programs

Early college high school is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. Early college high schools blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college. Schools are designed so that low-income youth, first- generation college students, English language learners, students of color, and other young people underrepresented in higher education can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate's degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor's degree—tuition free.

Established in 2011, the Mayland Early College High School (MECHS) provides a personalized learning environment to create a seamless curriculum between high school and college, and provides work-based experiences to students through rigorous, relevant, and responsive instruction emphasizing relationships and leadership development.

The Mayland Early College High School provides a personalized learning environment to create a seamless curriculum between high school and college, and provides work-based experiences to students through rigorous, relevant, and responsive instruction emphasizing relationships and leadership development.

For more information, contact the Mayland Early College Success Advisor at (828) 766-1283 or the MECHS Principal at (828) 766-2590.

CCP/Mayland Early College High School Liaison Contacts:

Avery County: Frank O’Hagan
fohgan@mayland.edu

Mitchell County: Jason Davis
jdavis@mayland.edu

Yancey County: Kelly Boone
kboone@mayland.edu

Mayland Early College High School: Brooklyn Hunter
bhunter@mayland.edu