Cape Fear Community College (CFCC, CFCC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Community colleges are well-known for offering a quality education at the fraction of the cost, and Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) is no exception. Serving students from all walks of life, this school offers a wide range of programs for the traditional and non-traditional student alike.

Founded in 1958, the college is located in Wilmington, North Carolina. Named after the Cape Fear River, CFCC is home to the Sea Devils, its mascot. There are three campuses in total – the Wilmington Campus, North Campus, and the Burgaw Center.

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Information Summary

Ranks 50th in North Carolina and 1606th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	71.3
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$4,348
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	12 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	69% / 56%
Enrollment Total (all students)	8,378

Academics

Classes are offered throughout the week and even on weekends, from morning until evening. Class formats available include a mixture of online, hybrid, and more “traditional” classroom settings. Students must take 44 hours of general core classes for all majors with only a limited number of exceptions. These courses fall under the following categories: English composition, humanities/fine arts, speech/communication, social and behavioral sciences, natural science and mathematics.

Students can earn an Associate in Arts (AA) degree in programs such as criminal justice, social work, and art education. AA degrees are normally designed to be transferable to four-year institutions. At Cape Fear, Associate in Science (AS) degrees are offered in general studies. There is also an Associate in Fine Arts and an Associate in Applied Science (AAS). The Associate in Fine Arts is designed to transfer, while AS and ASS degrees are normally designed for a student to enter the job market directly after completing his or her degree.

In the Arts and Sciences Department, there are a variety of programs offered including communications, religion, history and physics. The other main academic department is the Technical and Vocational Departments. Here you will find a public services division, business technology division, vocational division, engineering technology division, health sciences division and a marine technology division.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Unique Programs

The Gateway program allows high school students the opportunity to earn college credits. Three main programs fall under this option: Early College, Huskins Classes and Concurrent Enrollment.

Concurrent Enrollment allows high school students to take college level courses. The Early College program gives high school students the ability to take classes on the college campus and earn two years of college credit while finishing their high school diplomas. This program is open to ninth graders. Finally, the Huskins Classes are for high school students who enroll in college level courses especially designed for them, different from Concurrent Enrollment, which allows high school students to take classes especially designed for adult learners. To be admitted, a student must be at least 16 years of age and obtain certification from his or her high school principal.

Admissions

This school has an open door admission policy. Students who have earned a GED or high school diploma are eligible for admission. In order to be accepted, a prospective student must submit an application and transcripts from high school or proof of passing the GED. Students are also required to take the Accuplacer placement test. Exemptions are possible. Those who have a certain score on the SAT and ACT may be exempt. Those transfer students who have completed college level math and English also may meet exemption. Other ways exemption from the Accuplacer test may occur is if the student has cut off scores from another university or has taken similar developmental courses at another community college.

Financial Aid

The first step in determining financial aid eligibility is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Cape Fear highly encourages new applicants to submit their FAFSA information before July in order to receive financial aid for the upcoming fall term. The federal funding mentioned in the paragraph below cannot be obtained without first completing the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for federal funds.

Financial aid programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (FACG), Federal Work Study, North Carolina Student Incentive Grant, North Carolina Community College Grant, and the North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship. The Financial Aid Office can provide information about application deadlines.

There is also a separate scholarship application for students that can be found online and should be printed and submitted to the financial aid office as soon as possible. The priority deadline is mid-May. By filling out this form, you will provide the Financial Aid Office with data that will then be matched to the criteria of available scholarships.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 5274th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in North Carolina.

Students

There are numerous student organizations and clubs on campus. There are clubs that are based on academic majors such as the Mathematics Club. There are clubs that are based on special interests, such as the Multicultural Club, and then there are clubs that are based on media groups such as the Portals Literary and Arts Magazine Club. To facilitate club meetings and to have a central location for questions and concerns related to student activities, there is a Student Activity Center which is housed in the Allied Health Building. The Activity Center also serves a similar function as a student union would on another campus, providing students a place to intermingle, socialize, and relax.

Student Services

An abundance of services are offered for students from all walks of life, including assisting students with disabilities and returned veterans, for example. Like most community colleges the school does not currently provide housing for students, but it does offer counseling services, tutoring in the learning labs, and career services to all interested students. There is also a program known as Align Your Sails, which is offered as a mentoring/coaching program to assist in the college adjustment period.

Through career services, you can receive assistance in creating a resume or have your resume critiqued by an employee of career services. Networking workshops and general information regarding job interviews and professionalism is also available through career services. Students unsure of a career path can also seek help from career services. This is especially important prior to transferring for knowing which career goal you are aiming towards will help you better choose a major that will help you achieve it.

Additional Services

There are also various retention programs for target populations such as the 3MI. 3MI is a “program that is focused on increasing collegiate minority male retention and graduation.” 3MI stands for the Minority Male Mentoring Initiative.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Athletics

As a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association-Division I (NJCAA) students involved in competitive sports possibly have the chance to compete in conference championships. Sports are an important part of college life here and students enjoy a wide array of options including golf, tennis, softball, volleyball, soccer and basketball.

Additional School Information

As mentioned before, it is the school’s mission to stay relevant and connected to the community. The school sponsors a Child Development Center which serves as child care and a place of learning not only for the attendees, but also for students who are engaging in early childhood studies. The college also sponsors a dental clinic for eligible patients, a service provided through the Dental Hygiene program.

Caper Fear also offers small business seminars and professional development training. Furthermore, Adult Basic Education (ABE) courses are available to anyone looking to strengthen their reading, writing and math skills. Individuals interested in pursuing a GED have only to contact the ABE program to enroll. Also English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are offered to those individuals in need of improving their basic English skills. Community colleges do not solely exist to produce college-ready students, but also to serve the community at large. Hence, individuals, no matter what stage of their career or life aspirations they consider themselves, can find something here that suits their needs.

Accreditation

The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Cape Fear Community College